New Life
by Bulletproof Picasso
Summary: Life can change when you least expect it. For Ada Stark her life was changed the moment she found out who she really was. Now she's about to find there's a lot more to life than she realized, and more to her story than even SHIELD knows. Pepperoni, Clintasha and a few other pairings. Rated T for swearing. Sequel to New Beginning. Please R & R!
1. Part One: Another Suit Finished

**Chapter One**

* * *

_"Now all that had occurred here this night The angel had clearly seen Not unlike an old fashioned movie, Upon a silvered screen That borders on the edge of a, Forgotten childhood dream..." Christmas Canon Rock, Trans-Siberian Orchestra_

* * *

"We create our own demons. Who said that? What does that even mean? Doesn't matter, I said it cause he said it. So now he was famous and that's basically get said by two well known guys. I don't, uh...I'm gonna start again. Let's track this from the beginning."

. . .

December 2013.

Christmas was one of my favorite times of the year. From the colors to the scents and music. Everything about it was almost... magical. Snow in Malibu, California was rare, so I was lucky enough to spend one day in New York before moving back to the mansion. That was the first time I had ever seen snow in person.

And where was I at now? In one of SHIELD's secret headquarters not too far from the mansion.

How I got stuck here was beyond me. But let's just say that Fury had called me in shortly after we moved back for the holidays.

I was sitting against a wheely chair waiting for a debriefing from my oh-so-wonderful boss. Clint and Natasha were off on missions of their own, even though they were supposed to technically be my mentors. For the time being though it was nice to have a few days off until Christmas break was over. Considering everything that had happened in the past few days, I think we all deserved a break.

Two of the Black Knight 'warriors' that we had captured were now being held in one of SHIELD's most secured prisons. So far neither of them were saying a word after the incident that had occurred just two weeks ago.

"We've been tracking down the whereabouts of a new enemy who's recently shown his face to the public," Director Fury began as he finished organizing the files on his desk. Papers were scattered along with several manilla folders that would need to be filed later on. I really hoped he didn't make me take care of that work. Frankly I was getting sick of doing all of the dirty work around the place.

"And you want me to find out more information on them?" I suggested after raising an eyebrow.

Looking down at the files it wasn't hard to figure out what was going on. Someone opted to make terroristic threats to the world, more specifically to the United States. Either this guy really meant what he said, or he was just looking for attention. It was too early in the records to know for sure.

"What I want you to do is keep an eye on your father," Fury replied. I looked at him in surprise when he said that. "Seems he might know a thing or two about this 'Mandarin' character. We don't know for sure if that's the case, but it's better to be safe than sorry."

I nodded in agreement, remembering how easy it was to dismiss a threat. The last thing I wanted was for anyone to see dad as a target, though most of what he did made that difficult. So many people were always after his weapons intel or his technology.

"Sounds like a fun way to spend my Christmas," I retorted. Fury only rolled his eye before handing me one of the files.

Taking the files, I decided it was better to keep this mission away from dad. If he found out it was my job to protect him he'd flip. Truth be told it was a bit unnerving to me.

_Just remember Natasha's training and you'll be fine_, I reminded myself. With that meeting done and over with, I was quick to head back home. The less time I spent here the more time I got to spend at home for the holidays. And I was looking forward to getting a little vacation time.

. . .

"What the hell dad?" I flinched when I saw the blood stains that painted the floor. Dad looked at me sheepishly before revealing what he was up to. Fresh nicks in his arm told me that he'd been finishing up the technology for his latest suit.

I had only just gotten back home when I found him sitting in a chair in the lab, yelping in pain every few seconds. Dad was none other than the world famous Tony Stark, and he was infamous for spending every hour he had to work on his Iron Man suits.

Tony had adopted me when I was six. Ever since than my life had changed for the better, I often liked to say. Thanks to him I was able to leave the orphanage. And it was partially thanks to him that I discovered who, or more appropriately what I was. It was strange to think that I wasn't human.

My mother came from a race of people known as the Aliquid. The Aliquid had fled from their planet after it was destroyed by Galactus, the Devourer of Planets. Unfortunately they soon learned that even Earth wasn't such a safe planet. It was thanks to the Black Knights that they were almost hunted to extinction.

"I'm working, what are you doing?" he asked after cleaning off his arm with a rag. "Dummy. Hi, Dummy. How did you get that cap on your head? You earned it." He pointed towards Dummy, one of the robotic arms that he had built years ago. I tried not to laugh when I realized Dummy was wearing a dunce cap. "Hey. Hey! What are you doing round in the corner? You know what you did. Blood on my mat, handle it."

"Nice to see you too dad," I muttered with a roll of my eyes.

Typical of dad to be more focused on his work than anyone else. Finally he seemed to realize that I was standing there.

"Sir, may I remind you that you've been awake for nearly seventy-two hours," Jarvis suddenly piped up. That made me stare at dad in alarm.

"Seventy-two hours?" I nearly shouted. Dad only grunted in response. He walked over to where Dummy was and muttered something under his breath, causing me to only glare back.

Soon dad had reached the camera and stood in front of it, moving his hands and clasping them together. He stood in the center of the lab, looking over at the panel of suits that were leaning against the wall. I noted for the first time that he really _had_ been busy lately.

"Focus up, ladies. Good evening, and welcome to the birthing suit. I'm pleased to announce the imminent arrival of your bouncing, bad-ass, baby brother." He turned to face the camera once again. "Start Titan and go wide, stamp in time." Then he turned towards me with the slightest of smirks. "Mark 42 autonomous prehensile propulsion suit test. Initialize sequence."

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes once more as the suit powered on.

"Jarvis, drop my needle."

Seconds later and Christmas music started playing. I only folded my arms and watched from a safe distance as nothing happened. Dad let out a huff of frustration and held up his arms, holding his palms up as if expecting something to happen.

Again nothing happened.

Dad finally dropped his arms and glared. I decided to walk over to the table and find out what was going on. He wiped his arms again. Finally he seemed to realize what was going on after muttering 'crap' a few times. All I did was watch in amusement as he bit his arm, trying to get the sensors that he'd injected to work.

He pointed his arms towards the table once again. I moved out of the way just in time as the piece of armor began to move. In seconds it flew towards dad and landed on his hand. The glove stretched out until his arm was covered up to his elbow. Soon the other pieces started flying towards him, until the rest of his left arm was covered. He turned towards the table and the other piece flew off to cover his left hand, causing him to laugh in response.

Soon the rest of the pieces started attaching themselves. He lifted his left leg just in time for the piece to cover it. Well it looked like the sensors were finally working right. Took them long enough as far as I could tell.

"Alright, send the rest," dad ordered after taking a short break. I tried not to laugh when a piece flew off track and crashed into one of the cases behind him. It managed to knock the head right off the suit. He spun around and raised his arm to dodge another piece that flew right towards him.

Holding a sigh of frustration I ducked to avoid getting hit by the pieces as they started flying towards me. Just another day in Stark Laboratories. Although I will admit it was hilarious seeing dad get his ass kicked by his own creation.

"Probably a little fast, slow it down." He blocked another piece as it flew right at him. "Slow it down just a..." This time he had to duck as another flying at his head. "bit," he finished."

This would be a perfect time for the Trans-Siberian Orchestra Christmas music to start playing. Right now it looked like a whirlwind of parts flying around as they tried reaching their target. They swirled around and nearly tore the place apart.

Suddenly another piece flew right at him with such speed that it hit him in the crotch. Finally I couldn't stop my laughter as he keened over in pain. Another piece flew right into his back, just barely avoiding me as I ducked.

"Cool it down would you Jarvis?" dad muttered as he finally caught his breath. The chest piece hit him square in the chest at full force, knowing the breath out of his lungs. He finally let the other pieces attach themselves while I struggled for my own breath. This was hilarious, and the fact that he was recording it made it even better. I had to send this video to Clint; he'd probably die of laughter.

The final piece flew past dad, hitting a table and falling down, causing the needle on the record player to scratch and leave us in silence. Finally it powered up again and hovered in the air, revealing itself as the familiar faceplate.

"Come on, I ain't afraid of you!" dad goaded it on, flexing his fingers as if that would make it move any faster. The plate suddenly moved forward, hitting the table once again and fixing itself in the right position so that it fit on his face. Dad decided at that moment to jump in the air and perform a back flip with his thrusters, catching the faceplate in midair. He landed on the ground and slammed his fist into the floor before looking back at me with what I assumed was his signature smirk. "I'm the best."

I was about to say something when a piece of armor chose that moment to crash into his butt, causing him to fly forward. In seconds the suit disassembled, leaving behind a mess for Dummy to clean up later. By now I couldn't stop my laughter any further. Dad only stuck his tongue out at me when he struggled to stand.

"As always sir, a pleasure working with you." Jarvis's response only made me laugh harder, if that was possible. I tried wiping the tears away as dad finally stood up. He couldn't keep on a straight face when he saw the mess he'd made.

"What are you doing here? I thought you'd be with SHIELD," he added after cleaning up an oil stain on his cheek. Ouch. That actually did hurt a little. But I guess I deserved that comment, since I was spending so much time with my second family.

"Come on dad, it's the holidays," I replied with a shrug. "Fury gave me the week off. No work, no SHIELD. Just the family." I could only grin as dad frowned at that. It wasn't like Fury to just offer me a week off. Dad knew something was up. Thankfully though he didn't press me as we headed for the stairs. "Now, what's this I hear about you getting no sleep?"

Dad looked at me warily before thinking of what to say. "Nothing important," he replied. I raised an eyebrow warily, knowing damn well that wasn't the real reason. "We're leaving it at that," he retorted before walking past me.

All I could do was glare at his back as he headed for the bar in the living space. Something was seriously wrong, and of course he just brushed it off as nothing. When was he going to learn that some battles couldn't be fought alone?

Maybe Pepper would know what was going on. She was just as concerned about his health, and seemed to be the only one he trusted at this point. It did hurt knowing that he didn't trust me enough to tell me what was going on.

He doesn't trust government agencies, and understandably so. With a shake of my head I decided to ask Pepper when she got back.

* * *

**AN: So, here's the beginning of New Life. I'm really excited about this story, mostly because it will be longer than the first one and follow the events of what happened last story. I will be posting what happens during Iron Man 3, but after that the story will take a different path from the movies. I will also be including the Guardians of the Galaxy, considering all the descriptions I've included in the previous story. So stay tuned to find out more!**


	2. First Anxiety Attack

**Chapter Two**

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_"Today I felt a switch in my vein, Today I felt a switch in my vein Used to be a shadow, Now a shadow scream my name And in the daylight I could swear, We're the same But I'm just an ordinary human, (Ordinary ways) I'm just an ordinary human, But I don't feel so ordinary today I'm just a picture perfect nothing Sometimes I medicate, I'll be a picture perfect human Before the sun goes down today..." Ordinary Human, OneRepublic_

* * *

I was sitting down on my bed when it happened. The TV was on, and I'd been watching the news when the screen suddenly flickered. That was when I saw a sign appear on the screen that brought back terrible memories.

SHIELD had kept info on the people that kidnapped dad just two years ago. And according to the files the image belonged to a group of extremists known as the Ten Rings. They were responsible for capturing dad and torturing him for months on end. Making everyone believe that dad was dead.

"Dad?" My hands were shaking now as I called for him, but no answer followed. I could hear the sound of footsteps in the hallway, but other than that he never showed up. Glancing back at the screen I noticed that it had changed once again, the camera showing a group of people kneeling with their hands on their heads. Terror was easy to read in their eyes as a man appeared in front of the camera.

He wore a pair of sunglasses to shield his eyes from the harsh sun, and a beard that looked like it should've been shaved months ago. Or at least washed. Finally dad had appeared in front of my doorway, and he was leaning against the wall as the person in front of the camera started talking.

"Some people call me a terrorist, I consider myself a teacher," he began. Guns were pointed towards the screen, along with the sound of shots being fired. I couldn't help but flinch at the all-too familiar sound. "America, ready for another lesson? In 1864 in Sand Creek Colorado the U.S. military waited till the friendly Cheyenne braves all gone hunting, waited to attack and slaughter their families left behind, and claim their land."

I did remember that from a history lesson in school all those years ago. Though it was only vaguely mentioned it still left a bitter memory in the hearts of some people. It reminded me too much of what had happened to the Aliquid.

I couldn't help but stand up as my eyes were fixated on the screen, not even realizing that balls of fire were forming in the palm of my hand. It wasn't until dad had tapped my shoulder that I realized what was happening. Looking at him in embarrassment I quickly focused on keeping myself calm.

"Thirty-nine hours ago the Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait was attacked. I...I...I did that. A quaint military church filled with wives and children, of course. The soldiers were out on maneuver, the braves were away." In seconds a video of a bomb exploding was shown. "President Ellis you continue to resist my attempts to educate you, sir."

Educate? And pigs fly. This guy was a nutcase if he thought he was a teacher. But seeing what he was capable of did leave me feeling shaken. What else was he capable of if he could commit all of those crimes?

"And now, you've missed me again. You know who I am, you don't know where I am, and you'll never see me coming." And with that the screen went back to the news station, people panicking and starting to work out what had happened.

Finally I looked up at dad, his expression mimicking my own. Seconds later and my phone began to ring, telling me that SHIELD had received the message as well. We both stood there in silence, neither willing to budge. That was until I decided to toss my phone on the bed. Fury will probably chew me out later for this, but I could care less right now.

Before I could react dad pulled me in a hug. I was careful not to let my emotions overwhelm me. Emotions made my powers stronger and more uncontrollable. That was already proven when balls of fire had appeared earlier in my hands.

Dad pushed me back, but he said nothing reassuring, like everything would be alright. I knew that things were about to get much worse when he didn't say that. And it was time that I stepped up to find out who this guy was. If my assumptions were right than the folder Fury had given me would provide all the answers I needed.

. . .

"And how is President Ellis responding? By taking the guy they call War Machine and giving him a paint job." An image of a newly painted War Machine was shown on the television. I tried not to giggle when I saw dad's reaction to the new name.

"Same suit, but painted red whit and blue. Look at That. And they also renamed him Iron Patriot. You know, just in case the paint was too subtle." By now even dad couldn't keep on a straight face as Rhodes let out a sigh of annoyance.

We had decided to go out with Rhodes for lunch at a local bar after the whole incident on television. Neither one of us was willing to talk about what had happened. Truthfully I was afraid of what dad would say about it. Rhodes sat next to dad while I sat across from them, watching in amusement as he tried explaining to dad why he went along with President's ideas.

"It tested well with focus groups, alright?" he muttered crossly.

"I am Iron Patriot..." dad said in a mocking tone. I couldn't help but grin when Rhodes pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Listen, War Machine was a little too aggressive, alright? This sends a better message," Rhodes explained.

"So what's really goin' on?" dad suddenly asked, turning to look at Rhodey. "With the Mandarin." He suddenly looked back at me, and I only shrugged. If he mentioned SHIELD to Rhodey things would get dangerous fast. For them both and for me. "Seriously, can we talk about this guy?"

Dad leaned forward as his voice dropped to a whisper. People were already shooting us anxious looks, and it was obvious that some of them wanted us out. Rhodes suddenly looked uncomfortable as he glanced over at me, as if hoping I could somehow stop dad from asking these questions. With another shrug I took a sip of my Coke, enjoying the sweet flavor for a change.

"It's classified information, Tony," he finally replied. I made a scoffing noise and folded my arms, earning a strange look from Rhodes.

"Come on, this is dad we're talking about," I said with a nod. Knowing dad he'll hack into SHIELD's database if Rhodey doesn't give him an answer. Which means of course I'd have my ass handed to me when Fury finds out. It's not a matter of if. SHIELD always knew when someone was up to no good.

"Okay, there have been nine bombings." Both dad and I looked at him in alarm. Fury had only mentioned there being five bombings when I managed to reach him.

"Nine," dad repeated, rubbing his forehead as he thought over the news.

This was worse than we thought. Clearly the Mandarin was after someone, or something. I'm not sure which was worse. What I wanted to know was why no one stepped in to stop him.

"The public only knows about three. Here's the thing, nobody can ID a device. There's no bomb casings," Rhodes went on to explain.

"You know I can help, just ask. I got a ton of new tech, I got a prehensile, I got a...I got a new bomb disposal," dad began. I rolled my eyes when I noticed the pride in his voice. Leave it to dad to make it sound like the best thing ever. "Catches explosions mid-air."

Rhodey looked at dad skeptically before shaking his head. This was normally where I stepped in and said something, but for the most part I kept quiet.

"When's the last time you got a good night's sleep?" he asked warily.

I raised an eyebrow and shook my head when dad tried coming up with yet another excuse. All I could hope for was that Pepper locked him in the room for the night. Maybe she could tie him to a bed until he finally get some sleep.

"Einstein slept three hours a year. Look what he did?" Dad only shrugged as if the issue wasn't even worth looking into.

Running a hand through my hair, I had to wonder what really was keeping him up. He never talked about his problems to anyone. There was always some kind of excuse he came up with when Pepper tried asking him what was wrong, or if I tried asking.

"Dad." This time I managed to actually catch his attention. "We're worried about you," I said with the slightest of smiles. By 'we're' I didn't mean just the two of us sitting here. I'm sure if Pepper found out what he was up to she really would strap him to a bed for the next two days.

"I'm worried about you," Rhodes put in. Dad gave me a look as if daring me to say anything else. I tried keeping on a straight face, though my poker-face wasn't nearly as skilled as Natasha's. She was the master of poker-faces.

"You're gonna come at me like that?" He rose his voice a little louder, so that people finally noticed who it was sitting at the table.

I tried leaning into my seat so that people wouldn't spot me. Several times I've already had to deal with the press when I was out on my own. They were always looking for new stories and the latest gossip. At least in New York it was easy to hide in a crowd of people. Here I really didn't have much of anything to hide in.

"No. No, look, I'm not trying to be a dic..." Rhodey stopped himself short when two kids walked over to the table. I couldn't help but grin when he smiled like an idiot. "...tator," he finished. The girl handed dad a paper with what looked like a drawling of Iron Man.

"Do you mind signing my drawing?" she asked with a sheepish look.

"Only if Ada doesn't mind... you don't care do you?" Dad flashed me a look that only made me roll my eyes once again.

I held back a sigh of annoyance as the two kids finally recognized me. The kids looked at me with wide eyes as I formed a ball of fire in the palm of my hand. I was careful not to set the table or anything else in the bar on fire.

The kids stared at my hands in fascination as I doused the flame. For kids I was willing to show off, just a little. Unlike dad I wasn't too fond of being put on the spotlight. Only time I did that was when the government was trying to take his suit from him.

"You're Firefly?" the girl asked. I raised an eyebrow in surprise at the codename. That was the name Coulson had given me when they discovered my powers. My guess was the media had taken on the name after it was used a few times.

"Yep," I replied, making a popping sound at the end of the word.

"Is it true you can control the elements?" This time it was the boy who asked the question. I had to admit, he looked just like the kid from A Christmas Story. Cute as a button. Dad pulled out a crayon from the box and started writing something down. I leaned over and finally got a good look at the drawling.

To my surprise she was actually not a bad artist. The only thing that made me nervous was the wormhole she had drawn. It was an image of the Iron Man suit getting sucked into the wormhole. Glancing up at dad I noticed that he was sweating a little more. Memories of that day suddenly came flashing back. The sound of gunfire and knowing that dad had almost died in that wormhole. It hit way too close to home.

"What's your name?" dad asked the girl.

"Erin," she replied with a grin. Dad looked at the boy who I assumed to be Erin's brother.

"By the way, I loved you in 'A Christmas Story'," he said, pointing the crayon at the boy. The kid didn't say anything, he barely even cracked a smile. Yeesh, someone was a bit too much like Fury, way too serious and no fun.

Rhodes leaned over towards dad, his expression was difficult to make out as he spoke again, "Listen, the Pentagon is scared. After what happened in New York... aliens, come on." I didn't miss the way dad trembled at the mention of New York. He was still shaken after all of those events. "They need to look strong. Stopping the Mandarin is priority, but it's not..."

"It's superhero business, I get it," dad cut him off.

"No, it's not, quite frankly," Rhodes began in a sharper tone. Suddenly I understood what was going on with dad. But Rhodes went on before I could intervene, sounding more frustrated than ever, "It's American business."

"That's why I said I...got it-" Dad stopped short when the crayon snapped in half. Dad dropped the two pieces and placed his forehead in his hands.

"Dad?" I put a hand on his shoulder, wariness and worry taking over.

"Are you okay?" Rhodes leaned forward, concern written all over when he realized that something wasn't right.

"I broke the crayon..." Dad's voice sounded shaken. Before I could respond he suddenly pulled back and stood up. "I gotta go," he snapped, glancing at me.

All I could do was stand there and watch as he returned to the waiting Iron Man suit. I've only seen a reaction like that during my training in SHIELD. A few new recruits suffered from them during the first couple of days in training.

"What the hell was that?" Rhodes asked.

"Severe anxiety attack," I answered for him. With a sigh of frustration I apologized to the startled kids and followed dad shortly after. Someone needed to make sure that he didn't do anything stupid. Dad was waiting out front in his Iron Man suit, half crouched before he stood. "Dad." He looked up as soon as I tapped his shoulder.

A crowd had gathered outside the front, wondering what the hell was going on. I bit the bottom of my lip when several people started taking pictures. Pepper wasn't going to be happy when she found out about this.

"Sorry kid," dad stood up and brushed me off, earning a piercing glare. "I've got business to attend to. Rhodes, take her home."

Really dad? If he could see my expression he wouldn't have said that out loud. Neither of us had the chance to argue as he flew off, leaving behind a swirl of dust and a shocked crowd. A few seconds of silence followed before the reporters started bombarding me with questions. Rhodes was quick to shoe them away, much to my relief.

"Look, I'm no genius like your dad, but something tells me there was more to that than you're letting on," he stated as he shoved his way past the crowd. I was left to follow him, shaking my head and ignoring the reporters as they tried asking questions.

"I wish it was as easy as providing an answer," I replied.

Because really, who else wanted to know what was going on in the head of Tony Stark? I'm sure it was like a wonderland for psychiatrists.

"Whatever is happening needs to be taken care of quickly," Rhodes muttered. By now we had reached his car, a nice looking Chevy provided by the government for his services.

I couldn't agree with you more Rhodes. I just hoped that this... whatever it was didn't have anything to do with what happened a few weeks ago. I don't think I could ever forgive myself if I did do that to dad.

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**AN: So here's the next chapter :) I only got one review, which means the next update won't happen until I get at least... two or three reviews, since five-ten people have already added this to their favorite's list. It's not asking for much, right? Thank you Spinosa for reviewing! You're an awesome friend :D**


	3. In Which Happy Thinks He's A Spy

**Chapter Three**

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_"Oh I know I'm gonna rise again Set my sights on where I'm going , And my goodbyes to where I've been Oh I know I'm gonna rise again Singing farewell king of the broken So long my friend..." Rise Again, NEEDTOBREATHE_

* * *

"So, what do you think I should do?" I was back at the mansion after getting dropped off by Rhodes. He had not been too pleased having an extra passenger in his car. And quite frankly I wasn't too thrilled having to get a ride after dad pretty much ditched me at the bar.

Dad hadn't gotten back yet from where ever it was he went. So I decided to take my moment alone and chat with Jimmy. Maybe he would have a good idea of what I should do. With dad being too proud to admit that he was having issues, now was a good time to ask.

"I would say try talking to him," Jimmy replied after considering the right answers. I raised an eyebrow and he grinned sheepishly, ruffling the back of his hair before further explaining himself, "what I mean is, he might be willing to talk with you, if you play your cards right."

I looked at Jimmy skeptically. "This is Tony Stark we're talking about, you know that right?" I asked. Jimmy's only response was a smirk before he was called off to work. Holding back a sigh of frustration I tossed the Stark Pad back onto my bed.

Finally I noticed that dad had gotten home, a few minutes after I got out of the shower. I found him down in the lab, fixing what looked like a dented Iron Man suit. He didn't look stressed out like he had at the bar, but I didn't miss the fact that something was off.

"Dad, what the hell is going on?" I demanded, noticing that he had a plate of dinner on a desk beside him. Wasn't he supposed to go out on a date with Pepper later tonight?

"Fixing something," he muttered. "Why don't you go and make yourself useful or something?" He waved me off like it was nothing.

I forced back a nasty retort that was just dying to be shouted. Dad rarely acted this way in front of me. He may treat other people like crap, but I hardly ever saw this side of him. With one spiteful look I decided it was better to leave before things went from bad to worse.

As I got upstairs I noticed that Pepper had arrived. Her car was parked in front of the building, and when I looked out the front window I saw something that made me do a double take.

A giant stuffed rabbit was placed in front of the mansion, with a bow wrapped around it's neck. I wasn't sure if I should laugh my ass off at the sight or throw something at dad. Was this his way of apologizing to her?

Pepper walked in seconds later, looking both tired and annoyed.

"I'm sorry I'm late. I was... What the...? What is that?!" She looked at me in surprise before looking over my shoulder. I followed her gaze to see an Iron Man suit sitting on the sofa behind us. "Ada, where's Tony?" she asked.

"Obviously right behind me," I muttered with a roll of my eyes.

"You're wearing this in the house now? What is that, like Mark 15?" Pepper folded her arms when dad, or more appropriately the suit, looked up. I tried not to smirk when I saw the _Mark 42_ number on his forehead.

"Uh...yeah. Something like that. You know everybody needs a hobby," dad replied with a shrug. I only stayed in the background, knowing full well not to get caught up in their argument.

"Oh, and you have to wear your hobby in the living room?" Pepper glanced over at me, a worried look finally crossing her features. Dad suddenly got up and started walking towards her, keeping a safe distance but close enough so that they were facing one another.

"Just breakin' it in. You know, it's always a little pinchy in the gooey bag at first, so..."

I didn't hear the rest. Finally getting fed up with it, I headed for my room and locked the door, ignoring the questioning look Pepper had given me. Everything that had happened in the past couple of days was happening too fast.

With a sigh of frustration I decided that I needed some fresh air. Maybe a walk would help take my mind off of everything. Stress was never a good thing to go through, especially if it effected my powers. And already I could feel the ground trembling slightly as I walked outside, noticing that Pepper had disappeared.

"Jarvis, do you know where Happy is?" I suddenly asked the AI. Maybe he'd want to talk. After all Happy was like another part of the family.

"Mr. Hogan is on his way to the Chinese Theater ma'am," Jarvis replied almost instantly.

I hid a smile as I headed for my car. It was always kept out front and out of dad's view. As I started the engine I thought back to the day of my first unauthorized road trip. That was when I first met Thor, Jane, Darcy and Eric.

For a moment I was left wondering what they were up to. Erik had been working on the Tesseract project before Loki ruined that whole mess. According to Coulson Jane and Darcy were moved to London after being offered an unexpected position at a university.

Maybe one day after I found out what was wrong with dad I would pay them a visit. I did actually miss Darcy; she was a character in herself. She reminded me of a slightly less intelligent version of dad. Always in it for the fun and adventure.

. . .

After driving in and out of the traffic (Clint was such a great teacher when it came to driving lessons), I reached the Chinese Theater in about an hour. I'm not even sure how I got there in such a fast amount of time, but I was glad I did. It was already late at night, and a crowd of people were wandering up the steps.

To my surprise and amazement the Chinese Theater actually looked like the real thing. Green roofs that arched down could be made out on every building on the block. A large archway marked the entrance to the main theater itself. Small booths selling souvenirs were scattered around the main plaza.

It didn't take me long to spot Happy in the crowd. He was just getting out of his car when I crossed the street. I had found a space not too far from the area, making sure I stayed as discrete as possible. There was no need to draw in a crowd after what had happened earlier today.

"Happy!" He stopped short when he realized that he wasn't alone.

"Ada, what the hell are you doing here?" he demanded after making sure no one was watching.

"Well, dad's off with Pepper for the night, and I didn't have anything better to do so..." I shrugged as if it didn't matter, realizing just how risky this whole thing had been.

"Yeah well, I'm kind of on a mission of my own," Happy admitted when we started walking again. I noted how proud he sounded when he mentioned the fact that he was on a mission. He had no idea just how serious they could be.

I followed his gaze and noticed that he was watching someone. A bald man in a brown suit was walking towards someone. He was carrying a briefcase like his life depended on it. But that wasn't what had caught my attention. It was the tags he was wearing that seemed to wave carelessly in the breeze.

Carefully I turned on the earpiece that I always kept handy. It was a device that Jimmy and I had worked on in SHIELD to help clear any conversation in the area. All I had to do was pinpoint the speaker and focus on them. The earpiece would do the rest.

"That's the guy I'm watching," Happy explained as he shook hands with someone. A younger looking gentlemen with shaggy brown hair and ragged looking clothes.

"Doesn't look like much," I murmured.

"Yeah well, the guy he was with was hitting on Pepper. Tony wanted me to keep an eye on him." I looked at Happy in surprise. When did he last talk with dad? Must have been when I was chatting with Jimmy.

I watched the stranger carefully now as he started chatting with the younger guy. "Can you regulate?" he asked in a low whisper. He knew he was being watched. I could see his gaze shifting around as the other guy coughed before talking.

"Yes, I can regulate," came the throaty reply. I raised an eyebrow, wondering what they meant by 'regulate'. To me this sounded more like a bad drug deal than anything else.

"Are you sure about that?" The older guy handed over the briefcase, the slightest smirk playing on his face.

"Yes," the younger guy repeated.

"It's a decent batch. Don't say I never did nothin' for you."

"Thank you...I mean for understanding."

Okay, this definitely sounded like a drug deal. Shouldn't we be stopping them? But drug deals weren't exactly SHIELD business. The police should be alerted to this. As the older man started to leave Happy began walking towards the younger one, and I was quick to follow.

Before he could get any further I 'accidentally' bumped into him, knocking something out of his hand in the process. Happy was quick to catch it and patted him on the shoulder.

"I'm sorry, buddy, my friend here can be a little clumsy," Happy apologized. I only smirked in response as the younger guy looked at me warily. But that was when things started to go wrong. I noticed that the other guy's hand had started glowing, and Happy didn't miss it either.

"What are you doin', buddy?" the older guy asked when he joined us. "You out by yourself? A little date night?" His eyes shifted towards me, and I couldn't help but blush at the comment. Happy immediately tensed up at the mention of a date. "Watching your favorite chick flick maybe?"

Ouch, that one had to sting.

"Yeah, a little movie called "The Party's Over", starring you and your junkie girlfriend, and here's the ticket." Happy showed him what had fallen out of the other guy's briefcase.

Now the tension was starting to get even worse. His hands had started glowing once again, and I started forming possible escape plans if it came down to a fight.

"No kidding? That doesn't belong to you." The stranger in question smirked as he tried swiping the item from Hogan, but I reacted so quickly that he didn't get the chance. He let out a grunt of annoyance as I punched him square in the nose, hearing a sickening crack in the process.

I took a step back in surprise when his face glowed a bright red. Seconds later and his face was completely healed. Not a single trace of what I had done was visible. My heart was racing with panic when he suddenly grabbed me by the neck, his hands still glowing that bright red. I could feel heat radiating from his body as he tossed me aside like a useless utensil.

My head began to spin as Happy was thrown seconds later not far from where I had been tossed. I struggled to get up, but instead forced back a yelp of pain that shot through my leg. Of course it would feel like he had broken it.

The stranger started walking towards us, his hands still glowing until someone shouted his name. "Savin!" He stopped in midstep, glaring at the speaker. "Help! Help me!"

Horror surged through me when I realized what was happening. Savin only smiled as the younger guy began glowing the way he had earlier. Only this was a more violent glow, and the heat that came from him was almost overwhelming.

"Ada, you need to get out of here," Happy shouted as he too saw what was happening. I only shook my head and started focusing my powers on the ground. I needed to act quickly if we were to make it out of here alive.

"I'm not leaving you here to deal with that," I snapped as I pulled up pieces of cement. The cement would protect us both from the intense heat that I could already feel. And it's a good thing I had acted quickly - the guy in question had suddenly screamed in agony.

It was right after that the explosion followed. That was when it felt like my world was being ripped apart. I pulled up pieces of cement all around us, but even that wasn't enough to block the flames that surged past us.

All the power in the world couldn't stop the pain that followed. My teeth ground together as the flames finally died down, leaving nothing more than a charred ground behind. When I managed to turn towards a crack in the wall of cement, I noticed that Savin had survived the explosion. Rage surged through me when I realized that his entire body was glowing the same red that the other guy's had been. Only he wasn't exploding.

By the time he walked away I was left struggling for breath. The smoke was getting to be too much. Black spots began blocking my vision until I finally passed out.

. . .

"True story about fortune cookies. They look Chinese, they sound Chinese, but they're actually an American invention. Which is why they're hollow, full of lies, and leave a bad taste in the mouth. My disciples just destroyed another cheap American knock-off, The Chinese Theater. Mr. President, I know this must be getting frustrating, but this season of terror is drawing to a close. And don't worry, the big one is coming; your graduation."

Tony's hands were shaking when he had gotten the call. Pepper was still sleeping on the sofa downstairs. After what had happened earlier he didn't even bother checking on Ada. And now this had to happen.

It was the second time that he actually felt horrified. The first was during his attempt at stopping the nuclear bomb, when the wormhole almost sucked him in for good. With a grim shake of his head, he reached his Iron Man suit and left a note for Pepper to find in the morning. She would understand why he had left in such a hurry. And hopefully she wouldn't kill him for letting this happen to Ada when they got back.

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**AN: So there's that chapter. I feel like that scene could have been played out a little better, but there's not much more I can do without ruining the plot of the movie. And please don't go yelling at me that it doesn't take an hour to get to Los Angeles from Malibu, I will likely fix that later on when I get the chance... Anywho, thanks to larnise and Spinosa for reviewing. There may be a double update depending on how many reviews I get.**


	4. The Mandarin Strikes Back

**Chapter Four**

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_"God of mercy sweet love of mine, I have surrendered to Your design May this offering stretch across the skies And these Halleluiahs be multiplied..." Multiplied, NEEDTOBREATHE_

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"Of all the irresponsible reckless things that you could have done..." I winced at the sound of Fury's shouting.

I hated being in a hospital just as much as I hated listening to this conversation. The worst part was waking up in a different room. It reminded me all too much of when I was captured by the Black Knights. The moment my eyes opened I was half expecting someone to walk in and torture me some more.

Instead I was laying in a hospital bed, bandages wrapped around my arms and leg. A heart monitor was placed beside me, beeping at a steady pace. Bland white walls surrounded me, making my stomach twist. That was the one thing I hated about hospitals.

They never felt safe to me. Maybe it was because of dad's logic, and the fact that he almost never visited a hospital. This had to be a first for him. I grimaced as I tried sitting up. A dull pain in my arm reminded me of what happened not too long ago.

"Ada?" Dad's worried voice sounded from the hallway. I could hear footsteps shifting around. Seconds later and he was peering inside, eyes widening when he realized I was awake. "Ada thank God you're awake!" he nearly shouted as he rushed over to my side.

Confusion swept over me when I saw Director Fury leaning against the doorway. His arms were folded in annoyance, but I could see real concern as he watched us.

"What happened?" I asked, rubbing the back of my head. I sort of remembered being with Happy at the time I blacked out. And the Chinese Theater. But that was mostly it.

"You were protecting Happy during that explosion at the Chinese Theater," Fury explained before dad had the chance to. "From the intel we gathered you're both lucky to be alive."

My face faltered at the mention of Happy. Panic suddenly replaced the moment of peace I had felt earlier. Glancing at dad, I realized that he was feeling the same amount of panic. But his expression was different. For the first time I noticed how _haunted_ he looked.

"Is he okay?" I demanded. I needed to know. It wasn't just a matter of wanting now.

Dad exchanged a look with Fury before letting out a sigh. That was enough to make me realize that it was worse than I first thought.

"Happy is in critical condition," dad told me, his voice suddenly getting serious. "He hasn't woken up yet from his coma."

I couldn't save him. Dad gently squeezed my hand before standing up. I hadn't even noticed that Fury left the room, giving us enough time together. Maybe that was a good thing. I didn't want him to see me crying, again.

"I'm sorry," I whispered, burying my face in my hands. "This wouldn't have happened if I actually did something."

"No, I'm the one who should be sorry," dad corrected me. "I was just being a selfish ass who could only think about myself. And I'm sorry for that."

Wiping away a tear, I knew that it wasn't true. Dad was scared. I had never seen him scared before. But seeing him now I had a feeling that haunted look would return. And now I understood what had been bothering him just hours ago.

"Most of my injuries are already healed," I told him with the faintest of smiles. In this case I needed to stay strong, not just for dad but for Happy as well. There was no way in hell I'd like that Savin guy get away with what he did.

"You're powers, right?" Dad looked at me skeptically as I moved my leg, testing it out. With a nod I pried off the cords attaching me to the heart monitor, ignoring the long continuous beeping that followed.

"I can't even see any scars," I murmured thoughtfully. Dad only shook his head in amusement before leading me out of the room.

Soon we reached the room Happy was in. Apparently Fury had already left the hospital. I'm sure I would get a lecture from him about what had happened later on.

I could already feel my heart racing when I saw the condition Happy was in. Flowers were placed around his bed, and a nurse was at his side keeping an eye on him. But Happy himself didn't look quite so... himself.

His face was completely covered in fresh scars, burned away by the intense heat from last night. Both of his arms were covered in bandages. I swallowed back the fit of rage that was slowly beginning to take over.

Dad put a hand on my shoulder before glancing up at the television hanging off the wall. The nurse was just getting ready to leave when he pointed something out to her.

"Sunday night's PBS 'Downtown Abbey'. That's his show, he thinks it's elegant," he told her. I couldn't help but smile when he said that, remembering all those nights Happy had forced me to watch the show when he was babysitting me. "One more thing...make sure everyone wears their badges. He's a stickler for that sort of thing, plus my guys won't let anyone in without them."

"Of course Mr. Stark," the nurser replied with a smile and a nod.

"Get well soon Happy," I whispered as I followed dad out of the hospital. Thank God he wasn't in worse shape. The fact that he was still alive gave me some hope.

I thought of using my powers to heal his wounds. But the more I thought about it the more risky I realized it was. My healing power couldn't be used in an excessive amount. If used to heal a wound like Happy's, it could kill me in the process.

"We're awaiting the arrival of Tony Stark. We're hoping he'll give us the reaction...his reaction to the latest attack."

To my surprise and annoyance a crowd of reporters was already waiting for us outside. Almost at once we were bombarded with questions as dad led the way through them.

"Mr. Stark! Mr. Stark! Our sources are telling us that this is another Mandarin attack. Anything else you can tell us?" I exchanged a look with dad before making a point to ignore her. I've had about enough with these people.

"Hey, Mr. Stark! When is somebody gonna kill this guy? Just sayin'." This time I glared at the reporter trying to push for answers.

Did everyone seriously expect him to kill without question? True at this point the Mandarin deserved to be thrown into prison for what he did. But that didn't give him or anyone else the right to murder someone without the proper authority.

"Is that what you want? Here's a little Holiday greeting I've been wanting to send to the Mandarin." I bit the bottom of my lip when dad said that, not quite liking where he was going with this. "I just didn't know how to phrase it until now. My name is Tony Stark and I'm not afraid of you. I know you're a coward, so I've decided that you just died, pal. I'm gonna come get the body. There's no politics here; it's just good old-fashioned revenge. There's no Pentagon; it's just you and me. And on the off-chance you're a man, here's my home address: 10880, Malibu Port, 90265. I'll leave the door unlocked."

Dad led the way through the crowd once again, ignoring their stream of questions as they tried figuring out how he would handle the Mandarin. He suddenly grabbed one of the reporter's phone and tossed it to the ground.

"That's what you wanted, right?" he demanded. "Bill me." And with that we were already leaving the crowd behind.

. . .

"I've compiled a Mandarin database for you, sir. Drawn from S.H.I.E.L.D., F.B.I., and C.I.A. intercepts. Initiating virtual crime scene reconstruction." Silently I thanked Jarvis as holographic images appeared all around us.

We were back in the lab, and I had finally suggested that we look up files on the Mandarin after we got back. After a little argument between me and dad about looking into what SHIELD would know, I finally gave in and agreed they would have an idea.

"You do realize that you've just painted a target on your head," I stated as dad pulled out the more obvious files.

"Okay, what do we got here? His name is an ancient Chinese war mantle, meaning "adviser to the King"." He paused and looked over his shoulder at me. "Yeah, I probably did. South American insurgency tactics, talks like a Baptist preacher. There's lots of pageantry going on here...lots of theater."

The more he talked the more I realized this was the old dad. He was finally starting to act like his old self. I was wondering if what happened to Happy was a wake-up call for him.

"The heat from the blast was in excess of 3000 degrees Celsius. Any subjects within 12.5 yards were vaporized instantly," Jarvis explained.

And yet I had survived. And Happy barely survived. I wonder if my power over fire had anything to do with that. Dad looked at me curiously, obviously wondering the same thing. But he didn't dwell much on the thought, pressing forward for more information.

"No bomb parts found in a three mile radius of the Chinese theater," he stated as he scanned the area.

"No sir."

"Talk to me, Happy." Dad zoomed in on the virtual construction, suddenly noticing something that stood out. I raised an eyebrow when I saw what he was looking at. The cement I had used to protect us looked like nothing more than a stack of papers ready to catch on fire. Happy was pointing at the dog tags draped along the ground nearby. "When is a bomb not a bomb?"

"Any military victims?" I suddenly asked, remembering the dog tags Savin had been wearing.

"Not according to public records, ma'am," Jarvis replied.

"Bring up the thermogenic signatures again, factor in three thousand degrees."

"The oracle cloud has completed analysis. Accessing satellites and plotting the last twelve months of thermogenic occurrence now."

I watched with fascination as dad pulled apart what was left from the attack. He managed to piece together what had happened and who was the reason behind it in seconds.

"Take away everywhere that there's been a Mandarin attack." Dad started pulling away files that weren't included in the Mandarin's attack. Then he stopped at one that had happened recently in Rosehill Tennessee. "That. You sure that's not one of his?" He eyed the structure curiously.

"It predates any known Mandarin attack. The incident was the use of a bomb to assist a suicide," Jarvis explained.

"Bring it around." I raised an eyebrow as more information was given from the Tennessee attack. From what it looked like two guys from the military had been included in the attack. "That's two military guys. Ever been to Tennessee, Jarvis?"

Tennessee... I don't think I've ever been there. Of course the only reason I would ever go there is to visit Nashville.

"Creating a flight plan for Tennessee."

"So, what are you going to tell Pepper about this?" I asked as I followed him up the stairs.

I could imagine how livid Pepper would be when she found out everything that was going on. She was already pissed off enough with dad.

"I haven't decided yet," he admitted. "You can tell her when I'm gone. You're not going." I only folded my arms and glared at him.

"You seriously think you're gonna stop me?" I demanded.

"Ada, I'm not letting you put your life in danger again," he simply stated.

"Dad, you can't stop me," I insisted. "This just got personal when they attacked and almost killed Happy."

Dad was about to say something else when the doorbell suddenly rang. We have a doorbell? Dad must have been thinking the same thing, because he looked up at one of the television screens posted on the wall beside us.

"Are we still at "ding-dong"? We're supposed to be on total security lock down," he muttered crossly. I looked at dad curiously, then rolled my eyes. Figured he would put the mansion under extreme lock down. "Come on, I threatened a terrorist. Who is that?"

"There's only so much I can do, sir, when you give the world's press your home address," Jarvis replied.

Seconds later an image appeared on the screen. I folded my arms when I saw a young woman standing outside, peering through the glass doors. Dad quickly got into his Iron Man suit before letting the doors open.

"Right there's fine," he ordered as she started walking in. "You're not the Mandarin, are you? Are you?" He lifted his faceplate and looked at the brunette in confusion.

Something told me Pepper would not be happy if she found out about this lady. She eyed me warily as I stood beside dad, ignoring the threat of his Iron Man suit.

"You don't remember me," she huffed with a roll of her eyes. "Why am I not surprised?"

"Don't take it personally, I don't remember what I had for breakfast," dad replied with a smirk. That much was true.

"Glutton free waffles," I reminded him. Considering I was the one who had made breakfast this morning, I should at least remember that much.

"That's right."

"Okay, look, I need to be alone with you. Someplace not here, it's urgent." I looked at her with narrowed eyes, debating whether or not I should be disgusted or curious as to what she needed to talk about.

"Normally, I'd go for that sort of thing, but now I'm in a committed relationship-" Dad cut himself off when two bags were thrown from the balcony above us. "It's with her," he grumbled.

"Tony, is somebody there?" Pepper asked as she joined us. Thankfully dad was smart enough to walk out of his suit after the last fiasco. She looked at the woman in front of us cautiously.

"Yeah, it's Maya Hansen," he introduced for her. "Old botanist pal that I used to know, barely." Maya frowned when he called her a botanist. I had a feeling that she was anything but a botanist.

"Please don't tell me that there is a twelve year-old kid waiting in the car that I've never met." Dad's statement only made me roll my eyes. He would think of that before anything else in a situation like this.

"He's thirteen," she replied with a smirk. I tried not to laugh when dad's face paled. "And no, I need your help," she quickly added to calm him down.

"What...what for? Why now?" I suddenly piped in. Maya raised an eyebrow when she looked at me critically.

"You must be the famous Ada Stark." I was about to make a retort when I thought better of it. Judging by the look on her face she actually meant what she said about being nervous. She looked back at dad before continuing from her previous statement, "because I read the papers, and, frankly, I don't think you'll last the week."

"I'll be fine," dad reassured her.

"I'm sorry. With Happy in the hospital, I didn't know we were expecting guests," Pepper spoke up after being left in the dark for too long.

"We weren't," dad muttered.

Someone was busted. Honestly I'm surprised Pepper hasn't bitch-slapped him yet for his behavior. Considering the way he treated her sometimes he deserved it.

"No I don't..." Maya faltered slightly as Pepper smiled charmingly.

"And old girlfriends!" she exclaimed with shaky laughter.

And just when I thought this conversation couldn't get any more awkward. Maybe I should just leave. Finally the two started bickering, and I noticed that an alarm had appeared on one of the video monitors.

"Uh, guys?" I tried grabbing their attention, but neither Pepper or dad would listen.

"Do we need to worry about that?" Maya finally pointed out.

A bomb was heading towards us. Seconds later and the mansion was suddenly hit, causing the ground to tremble violently. Everything around us began exploding. Glass shattered around me, and it took everything I had not to panic.

I was quick to form a barricade around me from the cement I could find, making sure that I didn't cause the mansion to slide down the hill in the process. Maya was already lying unconscious on the ground nearby, but at this point she was the least of my worries. Dad and Pepper were somewhere in that mess.

"I got you." Hearing that statement from Pepper was reassuring enough.

"I got you first. Like I said, we can't stay here." And cue dad reassuring her.

With that being said and done, I quickly unearthed myself and started firing at the helicopters that were hovering nearby. Dad must have gotten out just in time. And I didn't see Pepper or Maya anywhere, which gave me a chance to really fight back.

"Ada you need to get out of there!" Pepper's cry made me stagger as I threw a piece of cement towards one of the helicopters, breaking off one of the wings in the process.

"Pepper's right Ada, I can't take down the helicopters with you there," dad shouted. I whirled around just in time to see that he was still there, clutching on to whatever he could grab as the ground started shaking.

A gaping hole had been opened on the side of the mansion. I could already feel it sliding down the cliff as the helicopters got ready to fire again. Panic suddenly took over when I realized that _I_ was the one causing the shaking.

"I can't control it." My voice was barely a whisper, but dad heard it loud and clear.

I barely had time to react when a suit attached itself to me. The world around me began to blur as it carried me away from the crumbling mansion. Seconds later and I was dropped gently on the ground, Pepper keeping hold of me as the suit disengaged.

Time seemed to slow down as dad flew around the helicopters, trying to take them out one by one. He managed to take down one with his suit, but that was the one I had already damaged earlier. He quickly dodged bullets that were firing at him before taking out the second helicopter.

All I could do was stand there and gape as the helicopter exploded and collided into the side of the mansion. The impact caused the building to collapse with dad still in it. Before Pepper could stop me I ran towards the ledge and looked down into the ocean.

"Dad!" I shouted. But nothing happened. Finally getting fed up with the waiting, I wasted no time in jumping. I could already hear Pepper's shouting from above as my body slammed into the ocean. Almost instantly an icy cold gripped my body as I swam towards the cloud of debris. But that wasn't the most surprising thing to happen to me.

I noticed for a short time that a barrier had formed around my head, almost like a dome. That was a new one. I didn't have much time to dwell on it as I tried looking for dad in the dust cloud. All I could see was a faint light in the darkness. Something told me that was coming from the Iron Man suit, if it was still active.

Holding my breath, I used the water to pull me towards the suit, pushing past whatever debris blocked my way. My hands were still trembling from when I had lost control of my powers from earlier. I hoped and prayed that it didn't happen again when I finally spotted dad.

Carefully I sifted through the debris until I spotted the Iron Man suit trying to power up. With one gentle push I managed to free it from whatever had been holding it down. Unfortunately for me that's when things started to go wrong.

The air bubble that had formed around me started to dissolve, until I was left gasping for breath. Dad suddenly wrapped his arms around me in a bear hug before flying out of the ocean. By than I had already started getting weak from the pressure and lack of air. Of course my body chose at that moment to black out.

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**AN: Here's that double update that I promised. Next update will come out later tomorrow when I get the chance to post it. Thanks ellethwen of lothlorien and Spinosa for reviewing! You guys are awesome! :D**


	5. Rosehill Tennessee

**Chapter Five**

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_"In this wasteland where I'm livin' There is a crack in the door filled with light, And it's all that I need to get by In this wasteland where I'm livin', There is a crack in the door filled with light And it's all that I need to shine..." Wasteland, NEEDTOBREATHE_

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I sat perched on the ledge where dad's workshop had been, looking down at where all of the debris had fallen. The weather was oddly nice despite what had happened the day before. And of course with it being Christmas Eve day things felt even more solemn than before.

To my surprise I found that I wasn't alone.

"I couldn't control it," I whispered, burying my face in my hands. A hand gently patted my shoulder. I didn't need to look up to see who had joined me.

"You did what you could." Phil Coulson's voice was oddly soothing. I hadn't seen him since the fight on the Hellicarrier when Loki tried taking the Tesseract.

"But it wasn't enough." Once again I was left thinking of what I could have done for Happy. He shouldn't be laying in a hospital bed, especially not at this time of the year. I often wanted to tell myself that it should be me in his place. I was the one who didn't stop him from investigating what was going on.

Before I knew what was happening a pair of arms wrapped themselves around me in a hug. I forced back the shame and fear that was threatening to overwhelm me. Shame for not being able to control my powers. And fear that it might be my fault dad was gone.

"Do you remember what he was doing last before this happened?" Coulson's question caught me by surprise. But somehow I managed to recall the research dad was putting his time into just hours ago. He was running research on the Mandarin, and the latest attacks that weren't behind the Mandarin.

"He wanted to visit Rosehill Tennessee," I explained after biting the bottom of my lip. It was a habit I had formed when I thought a lot. "Something about a bomb site that wasn't related to the Mandarin, and having former militants involved."

Phil raised an eyebrow in concern. I always thought of him as the mother hen when it came to the Avengers, and even to SHIELD. Maria Hill may be Fury's second in command, but Coulson would always be mine. He always knew just what to say and what to do. That was why I looked up to him.

"I think I can pull a few strings and send you there," he sighed after rubbing his forehead in thought. "Your dad's research might prove useful for SHIELD later on. Fury wanted you to run some research on the Mandarin after all."

I nodded in response, remembering what Fury had asked of me before this crazy week began. Then I remembered what dad had said about me not going with him. Now I was forced into going. I would step up and take the Mandarin on personally if I had to. Not only had he hurt Happy, but dad was dead as well. There was no way in hell I would let the Mandarin get away with this.

"How soon can we go?" I asked. Coulson looked at me in surprise before forming the slightest of smiles.

"I have a ride waiting already," he replied. I looked at him skeptically, not quite sure whether or not that was a good thing.

. . .

"FitzSimmons!" I practically screamed when I saw them for the first time in months. Jemma was quick to give me a hug while Leo just grinned like an idiot.

How in the world did I end up in this place? It was called the BUS, and apparently Coulson's team was in charge of it. Standing there in the lab with FitzSimmons almost seemed like a daydream now. And of course I recognized Grant Ward almost instantly. A new face though made me a bit wary around them. And she wouldn't stop staring at me with those huge eyes.

"It's good to see you again Ada," Simmons replied after pulling apart. "Though I wish it was under better circumstances," she quickly added, almost sounding apologetic.

I only shrugged. "I just want to stop the Mandarin while I can," I replied, trying to keep my voice steady. I didn't want to look weak in front of Coulson's new team. I'd already had a breakdown several times this week.

"So far we've been keeping tab on what causes those explosions," Fitz explained as he led the way further into the lab. I glanced over my shoulder to see that the new girl was still standing beside Ward. It looked like she wanted to say something, but couldn't find the right words to say. "The strange thing is they never find any bomb shells, or any bodies if it was a suicide bomber."

That caught my attention. Wouldn't there be a body, or any signs of the person attempting a suicide bombing? It was so strange. I had seen what Savin could do, and something told me he was working for the Mandarin. The guy who had made a deal with Savin had ended up glowing that same bright red, and right after that was the explosion.

"What if the bomb isn't a bomb, but a person?" I suggested. Fitz and Simmons exchanged wary looks, suddenly realizing that my theory might just be right.

"That would explain why there are no bodies," Simmons murmured thoughtfully. "But if the person in question is the cause of these explosions, than how is it happening?"

"That's what I would like to know." We all looked up to see Coulson standing in the doorway. He'd disappeared minutes ago after our arrival. Shouldn't he be piloting the plane? Then I realized that he must have another team member flying this thing.

"A few days before all of this... stuff happened," I began after typing in a series of codes on one of the computers in the room. "I had to hack into dad's files in order to find this one. At Stark Industries a man by the name of Aldrich Killian arrived with a proposal to Pepper."

I filtered through the files that were unimportant until I reached what looked like security footage from the presentation room. Finally I noticed something that caught my attention. I paused at the moments where he and Pepper were talking about funding a project known as Extremis.

"Unfortunately to my ears, that also sounds highly weaponizable," she had said.

"So, this Extremis is a weapon they're producing," Fitz concluded as the file went dark.

"They're mass producing something that isn't even stabilized," I corrected him. Extremis sounded dangerous, and even if it could heal body parts (which to me sounded just like the Lizard serum that Doctor Connors tried using), I had a feeling these people were after something far worse.

"That would also explain why the people are exploding," Coulson suddenly piped in. "But why would they take Extremis if it's unstable?"

"Someone could be convincing them that it's a trial run," a new voice spoke up. All four of us looked over to see the woman from earlier standing sheepishly beside Coulson. "Hi, I'm Skye by the way," she introduced herself with a huge grin. "If the Extremis can repair body parts like you said, than soldiers who lost limbs in battle would be more than willing to go through the trial, especially if it's free."

To my surprise that actually did make sense. A soldier would be desperate if they had lost anything during a battle. Desperation made just about anyone weak.

"Nice to meet you Skye," I said with the faintest of smiles.

"I know all about you," she admitted, suddenly looking sheepish again. "FitzSimmons wouldn't stop talking about you." She looked at the two scientists in question. Fitz only rubbed the back of his head while Simmons started whistling nonchalantly.

Honestly I'm surprised she didn't find all that information from the Internet. The thought made me suddenly feel self conscious. Everything I did was watched over closely by the media. If I wasn't careful something could be taken the wrong way.

"We're approaching Rosehill Tennessee." I froze at the familiar voice that sounded over the intercom. That sounded a lot like Melinda May. I've run into her a few times during my training in SHIELD. Apparently she was known as the Calvary, for whatever reason.

"Once you get there make sure you blend in," Coulson explained as he handed me a bag of clothes. I eyed it cautiously before taking it. Something told me it was going to be cold when I got out.

"I'll be sure to send you the information once I obtain it," I replied. It was hard trying to keep my voice confident.

Truthfully I was terrified. This was my first solo mission, at least outside of a familiar territory. In New York I did get to know my surroundings pretty well, especially with Peter around to help me. Here I would have to make sure I didn't get lost.

"Stay safe," Simmons murmured as the plane made a landing.

"I will be," I reassured her.

Finally the hanger door to the garage opened up. I was really amazed at how huge this plane was. To have not only a garage, lab and training area was amazing. I wonder what it took for Coulson to convince Fury to get this place. I walked past Lola, Coulson's famous flying car and gave it an appreciative look. The red paint really made her stand out, and I could see why Coulson loved her so much.

Maybe I could get dad to help design a car similar to Lola. It would make traveling so much easier. Although a flying car didn't exactly blend in... than again neither did Iron Man. With a shake of my head I walked outside, feeling a rush of cold wind brush past me.

"We'll keep in touch once you get settled," Coulson called as the hanger door closed.

I did a salute once the plane took off, leaving behind a swirl of snow and wind. Once the snow had cleared I realized just how cold it was. I wasn't exactly dressed for this kind of weather. Maybe I should've thought this one through...

Thinking fast I set down the bag of clothes Coulson had given me and opened it. To my relief I saw a warm sweater stuffed inside along with a scarf and gloves. How Coulson knew what I liked to where was beyond me.

Snow really was a beautiful sight to take in. Living in California meant that I didn't get to see it much unless dad took a business trip to one of the ski resorts. And that wasn't often. So seeing it now as I started making my way towards the town was something I could get used to.

Small homes and buildings lined the outskirts of Rosehill when I reached it. First thing's first, I needed to find a place to stay while I was here. With the little cash I had that was going to be next to impossible.

I hadn't realized until I reached one of the nicely decorated homes that it was Christmas. With everything that was going on I had lost track of time. I wondered if Pepper was safe, and if Happy was okay. Then I thought of everyone else I had met recently and wondered what they were up to.

"Where do you think you're going?" I stopped short when I heard the jibe. Eyes narrowing slightly, I noticed a group of kids playing outside in what looked like the center of town.

One boy, ten years old by the looks of it, was heading in the opposite direction while the small group started teasing him.

"Get back here you freak!" another kid shouted as he threw a snowball at the ten-year old.

I rolled my eyes at the sight and scooped up a snowball of my own. If there's one thing I hate more than anything, it's a bully. And judging by the way the kid was walking he'd been bullied a lot by this group.

"Leave him alone!" I shouted after tossing a snowball at the largest kid in the group. The five of them faltered when they spotted me, dropping their snowballs in the process. In seconds they had already run, leaving the smaller kid behind. "Jerks," I muttered under my breath. "You okay?" I turned towards the smaller kid, but he was already walking away.

"I'm fine," he sniffed once he was sure they had gone. "You didn't have to do that."

"It's what I do," I replied with a shrug. I noticed a nasty looking bruise on his eye and grimaced at the sight. "Are you sure you're alright?"

"I will be." I could see that he was lying. I may not be able to predict a liar like Natasha, but it was easy to tell he was hurt. Of course that old saying don't trust strangers probably rang in his head. So for now I let him be, knowing he probably wouldn't accept my help if I offered any.

So I decided to take an alternative route. Maybe I could find out more information by asking around town. For now that was what I would do.

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**AN: I thought it would be fun to add Coulson's team in this. They might be making more appearances later on if all goes according to plan ;) Thanks Spinosa for reviewing, you're a good friend and reviewer :D PLEASE let me know what you thought of this chapter, I'd really love to get some feedback!**


	6. You're Not Dead

**Chapter Six**

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_"Don't wanna look up And it be over, Don't want to wish that I had longer, It's my time Yeah it's my town, I pray my feet won't ever slow me down Don't fail me now..." Feet Don't Fail Me Now, NEEDTOBREATHE_

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I was studying the sight in which someone had placed a suicide bomb just weeks ago. There were only five shadows that I could see where the victims had been burned alive. But according to the story six people had been caught in the explosion. What I wanted to know was what had happened to the sixth victim.

"So what's the official story here? What happened?" My heart nearly skipped a beat when I heard a familiar voice. Turning around slightly I noticed two figures approaching the sight. With quick movement I made a point to avoid them, but I couldn't help peering around the corner to watch. To my surprise the boy from earlier was in plain sight, pointing towards the subject of conversation.

"I guess this guy named Chad Davis, used to live roundabouts, won a bunch of medals in the army. One day, folks said he went crazy and made, you know, a bomb. Then he blew himself up right here," he explained with a shrug.

"Six people died, right?" Is it possible to hear that voice? It sounded hauntingly familiar. My hands started shaking as I took another step closer. What could I say that wouldn't make this scene turn into a big sob fest? I could already picture myself breaking down in tears once again when I saw his face again.

"Yeah," the kid replied.

"Including Chad Davis?"

"Yeah." Wow, way to sound repetitive. I clutched on to my necklace as a million questions ran through my mind. If I spoke with Nadia now that would give away my position. For now I would have to try and keep my thoughts steady as the two started walking away.

"Yeah. That doesn't make sense." He sat down next to the kid on a bench and stared out at the wall they'd been talking about. "Think about it. Six dead, only five shadows," he continued on as the kid shrugged once more.

"Yeah, people said these shadows are like the mark of souls gone to Heaven. Except the bomb guy, he went to Hell on account of he didn't get a shadow. That's why there's only five."

Just how naive could he be? Well, he was just a kid. And he probably believed anything his folks said as long as they didn't stretch the story too much. Glancing back at the man sitting beside him, I swallowed back the anxiety that was slowly taking over.

It was now or never. Finally I stepped out of my hiding place. His eyes widened in surprise when he looked up at me. I wasn't sure how to react when we just stared at each other. The awkward silence wasn't helped when the kid looked between me and his new friend.

"Ada?" To say that I wasn't upset would be a lie. But it wasn't a sad kind of upset. Dad suddenly rushed forward and wrapped his arms around me, pulling me in for a tight hug. "I thought you were killed in that explosion," he whispered as he brushed a hand through my hair, as if he couldn't believe I was real.

"I thought the same thing dad," I admitted. It was great seeing him again. I didn't even care how he had behaved just a couple of days ago. Just knowing that he was alive made my life feel so much better.

"You're Ada Stark?" The kid finally stopped gawking as dad refused to let me go, nearly squeezing me until I let him know with a sharp elbow jab. I could barely talk, so instead I just nodded in response. "I'm sorry, I didn't know," he quickly apologized for the way he acted earlier.

"You're actually the first person to not recognize me," I replied with a shrug.

"What are you doing here?" dad suddenly asked.

"Boss wanted me to run some research," I explained. "We found out more information on the... project." Dad raised an eyebrow in understanding when I mentioned the project. I couldn't exactly tell this kid about SHIELD without giving away my position.

"The guy who died...relatives? Mom? Mrs. Davis, where is she?" Dad turned to the kid who was still watching us curiously.

"Where she always is," the kid replied.

"See, now you're being helpful." Dad patted the kid on his shoulder before turning back to me. "You're staying with Harley while I'm gone," he added in a warning tone. To which I just rolled my eyes and laughed.

"Oh no. This is my mission as much as it's yours," I retorted. "I'm done taking orders."

Dad looked like he was ready to argue when he thought better of it. Grumbling under his breath, he waved for me to follow, leaving a confused Harley behind. He didn't know the half of it. And it's probably a good thing he would never know.

"So you two met before?" dad asked, his voice dropping to a whisper.

"Let's just say that a group of kids won't be bothering him again anytime soon," I replied with a smirk.

"Ah, that would explain the bruise on his eye," dad murmured thoughtfully. "So, do I even want to know how you got here?" I was wondering when he would ask that.

"Coulson's new team dropped me off near the edge of tone," I explained. "They have a new member on their team, a hacker by the name of Skye. Apparently she managed to hack into SHIELD's files, and now she's 'turning over a new leaf'."

Dad only grinned at me in response. "I wonder how long that will last?" He stopped short when he accidentally bumped into someone at the bar we were headed to. "Sorry," he muttered after realizing what had happened.

I noticed that she had dropped something and picked it up before she could get away. "Miss, you uh... dropped this." I handed it back to her as she smiled gratefully.

"Thank you," she replied. I flinched when I saw the burn marks covering her face.

"Nice haircut, suits you," dad said, making the tension between us even worse.

"Nice watch," she retorted after eying the watch strapped to his wrist. I only just noticed the watch too, and now I was trying not to laugh when I saw the Dora the Explorer print on it.

"Yeah, limited edition," dad explained warily.

"Oh I don't doubt it." And cue the creepy awkward silence that followed. Honestly, there was something about this woman that creeped me out. "Well, have a good enough," she said before walking away.

I tried not to shudder as I followed dad into the bar. People were already giving me weird looks as the door closed behind me. Most teenagers my age wouldn't be caught in a bar unless they wanted to get arrested. Luckily they ignored me though as I followed dad to a table.

The bar pretty much resembled that of any other bar - dirty and full of desperate people. For the most part I felt like sticking to dad's side, ignoring the stares from a few men who were inside. In the corner of the bar was a woman sitting at a table all alone, drinking away her troubles.

"Mrs. Davis, mind if we join you?" dad stopped in front of her, putting on a straight face and nudging me every few seconds.

"Free country," she replied. Her voice was already a little slurred, and to me it sounded like she had a few too many drinks already.

"It sure is," dad replied. He sat next to her while I sat across from him. The woman looked at me warily before getting down to business.

"Alright. Where'd you like to start?" she asked.

"I just want to say I'm sorry about your loss," dad began. "I want to know what you think happened." He cast a look at me as if daring me to say something else.

"Look, I brought your damn file. You take it and go." She tossed a file on the table in front of us, waving her hands in a dismissive style. "Whatever was in here, he wanted no part of it." Before dad could open the file I was quick to grab it, earning a glare from him.

My eyes widened when I recognized the man standing next to Mr. Davis. He was the same man that had exploded at the Chinese Theater.

"Clearly, you're waiting for someone else. Yeah? Supposed to meet somebody here?" dad suddenly asked. I looked at dad warily when he asked that. His voice had suddenly become suspicious, and the woman looked at us both cautiously.

"Yeah," was all she said.

"Mrs. Davis, your husband didn't kill himself, I guarantee you. He didn't kill anyone. Someone used him," I pointed out.

All too well I remembered what we had discovered on the BUS. Coulson's team was already investigating a cure to Extremis. Hopefully they would find something before this all escalated to something even worse.

"What?" Mrs. Davis looked at me in confusion, but dad was quick to catch on.

"As a weapon," he explained.

"You're not the person who called me after all, are you?" Mrs. Davis finally looked more suspicious by the second, until suddenly a cell phone slammed onto the table.

"Actually I am." My heart nearly skipped another beat when the woman from earlier grabbed me by the arm and twisted it, than she proceeded to slam my head into the table, only to get kicked in the legs as I struggled free from her grip.

"Hey, hey, hey! What's all this about? What the hell's going on here?" Someone stood up at the scene she was making, causing us all to look up in alarm.

"It's called an arrest," she replied before shoving me to the floor. Dad was quick enough to catch me, much to my relief. "Sheriff is it?" she asked in a sweet-as-honey tone.

"Yes ma'am, it is. And you are?" The Sheriff looked at her warily, hands on his gun in case she put up a fight. I had no doubt that's what she had in mind now.

"Homeland Security," she explained. Mentally I scoffed when she held up what looked like an official badge. Why Homeland Security would hire her is beyond me. "We good here?"

"No, we're not good," the Sheriff replied in a stern tone. "I need a little more information than that."

"Well, I think it's a little above your pay grade, Sheriff." That made me seriously want to punch that smirk off her face. Even if she was right she had no right to say that.

"Yeah, well, why don't you get on the horn to Nashville and uh...upgrade me?" The Sheriff remained stoic, and I wasn't sure if I should cheer him on or warn him that she was up to something. Dad suddenly gestured to Mrs. Davis to hide the file under the bar, and thankfully she did.

"Alright, you know what? I was hoping to do this the smart way, but uh...the fun way's always good."

That was when things started to go downhill. Her hands started glowing bright red, just like the guy at the Chinese Theater. As he was talking to someone else she suddenly grabbed the badge she held earlier, now a burning heap and tossed it at the Sheriff.

"Get out of here now," dad suddenly ordered to me. I was about to argue when I thought better of it. This fight was something that needed to be taken out in the open. As I started making a run for it I heard a gun shot, and people were starting to flee from the area shortly after.

I got out just in time as the lady started following dad towards another shop. A crowd of spectators were watching from a safe distance as the fight dragged on. For the third time that night my heart nearly skipped a beat when an explosion shook the area. The shop dad was in had just exploded, and there were no traces of him, or the woman.

'_Ada, behind you_!' I think I almost leaped out of my skin when I heard Nadia's warning voice for the first time in months. The necklace I wore allowed me to communicate with her, whether I wanted to or not. And she chose now of all times to finally speak.

It's a good thing I took her advice. Savin was standing in front of me now, a wide smile across his face as he eyed me like I was his prey. And to him I probably was.

"You bastard!" I shouted, my anger flaring up at once. Savin's smile only grew wider as he walked towards me, his hands glowing that sickening red.

"You're just the right kind of test subject we need," Savin explained as he got closer. I could already feel the power building within me, dying to be released and taken out on him. "Full of spirit and fire... the perfect Extremis soldier-" I cut him off before he could continue his statement.

A blast of air was thrown into his face, kicking up blinding snow in the process. Savin let out a noise of annoyance. Seconds later and he managed to melt any of the snow that had landed on him, but by the time he did I'd found another hiding place. Savin's smirk faded to a scowl as he started searching for me.

"Help me, help me!" I felt my blood run cold when I heard the mocking tone. Looking up I noticed that Savin had grabbed Harley by the wrist. Despite Harley efforts to get away, Savin held on with a firm grip.

My body acted faster than my mind. "Let him go!" I snapped.

"Let's make a trade, shall we?" Savin grinned like a madman as he looked between me and a desperate Harley, who was staring at me apologetically. "Your life for the kids. I'd say that's a fair trade."

I looked at Savin in disgust. If I could I would have blasted him to kingdom come already. But I wouldn't do that when Harley was in danger. I wasn't about to put the kid's life at risk, not when I could save him. A few seconds past before I nodded in reluctant agreement. There was no other way, as far as I could tell.

"Now be a good boy and tell her daddy what she's done," Savin ordered, tossing Harley aside once he got a hold of me.

"You're an ass," I spat as he threw me into his car. For the second time that week I couldn't find myself to focus on my powers. I wasn't even sure what was wrong with me at that point. But being captured again was not something I had in mind for Christmas.

"I wouldn't say that too many times Miss Stark," he replied with a sly grin. "You're about to be responsible for an entire new generation of soldiers."

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**AN: So I may or may not be rushing through this story... I'm not sure yet. But I would LOVE to see more reviews... I won't be updating until I get at least two reviews; that isn't asking for too much, right? Thanks Spinosa for reviewing every chapter so far; you've earned yourself a virtual cookie! :D**


	7. We're Alright

**Chapter Seven**

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_"We've got a fireblazin in our hearts, No we're never gonna stop Until the whole world knows who You are, Who You are, who You are..." Fireblazin', Capital Kings_

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You know what I hate about captivity?

The fact that I was captured in the first place. And by a couple of goons who didn't know how to keep themselves occupied.

Long story short: I was being held captive in a room that was obviously not air conditioned. My hands and legs were strapped to what looked like a bed frame. The room itself looked like an old factory of some kind.

The worst part of this captivity was the fact that Aldrich Killian himself was standing in front of me. His mouth was twisted in a sly grin as he studied my features. The look he was giving me made me want to throw up.

"So, what kind of creature are you?" he asked in a sneer. I didn't get the chance to respond as he slapped me across the face, pain searing through me at the impact. "I've already got one trophy, and now I have something even better."

I felt a shudder run down my back as he turned away. What was he talking about?

"When your father left me standing on the rooftop that night, he gave me something that I now appreciate: Desperation." With that said and done, he tossed the same devices he had used during his presentation with Pepper.

When a holographic image of Pepper appeared I wanted to scream in horror. The asshole had given her a dose of Extremis. And now it looked like her body was trying to decide whether or not it should accept the Extremis or reject it.

"With you, I've got something even better." Quickly he turned off the holographic image and turned around. "Let's see if your body can handle Extremis."

My mind was screaming at me to try and escape. As far as I could tell there was no chance of that happening. Killian was about to grab something from the desk where a bunch of computers were placed when an alarm sounded from the outside.

"Sir, Mr. Stark is now in our custody." I felt cold wash over me when they announced that. How could dad let himself get captured, again?

It took everything I had not to spit something in reply as Killian grinned like a madman. "Excellent, bring him in and strap him up," he replied over the com.

All I could do was glare at them as they dragged an unconscious Tony Stark into the building. If I could I would've made sure these people didn't live to see another day. For all of the people they have hurt and would hurt if their 'fun' continued.

"Looks like he isn't as invincible as people claim," Killian sneered as he was strapped to a bed nearby.

"You're just lucky I can't move," I snapped, my anger finally getting the better of me.

"I'm sorry, what was that?" Killian only grinned once more as I repeated myself, letting rage take over. He really was lucky that I didn't Hulk out like Banner. At this rate I was ready to tear the place down with every ounce of strength I had.

With one swift movement he kicked me in the ribs. I was left gasping in pain as the impact left me breathless. I really wish I could punch that grin off of Killian's face as he walked away, leaving us with the guards once more.

Seconds passed before my healing power managed to repair any damage caused by him. There had to be some way out of this hellhole. I wasn't going to let Killian turn me into one of his puppets. But as far as I could tell there was no way out unless I managed to free myself from these restraints.

'_Nadia, are you there_?' I suddenly asked. Call me crazy but I had a feeling if anyone could offer some form of advice it was my mother. Like I said before, the necklace she had given me allowed me to contact her spirit. I still wasn't sure how it worked, but every time I communicated with her it began to glow.

'_Those humans will pay for what they have done_,' came the violent response.

'_Why couldn't I control my powers earlier_?' I asked, trying to keep my voice steady. If anyone knew about my powers and abilities, she would.

'_You let your fear take hold_.' I couldn't help but narrow my eyes when she said that. '_Emotions make our powers stronger_._ The more you feel, the more powerful you are_. _That is why you must find your inner peace_.'

That wasn't exactly easy to do when Nadia was letting her own anger overwhelm her. I've heard the violent swearing when I tried communicating with her before. But it was never as dangerous as this one moment.

'_How can I find inner peace, when I'm chained to a bed?_' My question was answered with silence. That actually wasn't surprising. Considering the condition I was in finding inner peace would be next to impossible right about now.

'_Your power allows you to adapt to whatever situation you are in_,' Nadia suddenly explained. I only raised an eyebrow in confusion, not quite sure what she meant by that. '_The situation you are in right now is imprisonment_._ Your powers will adapt in order for you to survive_,' she continued when I didn't say anything.

"What the hell is goin' on with you?" One of the guards finally took notice of me when they were finished with their card game.

"Finding a way out," I replied in a cheeky voice. The guard immediately got up from his seat and walked over to me. I didn't even flinch this time as he slapped me across the face, sending another jolting pain through me.

"You wanna say that again kid?" he demanded.

"I'm going to find a way out," I snapped. The guard only smirked and was about to slap me again when the door swung open. He stopped his handy work as a familiar woman walked inside, glaring at him coldly.

"What are you doing?" she demanded as the guard turned to face her.

"This little brat thinks she's gonna get out of here," the guard explained, leaving me behind so that they were now facing each other.

"That 'little brat' is our key to getting Extremis stabilized," Maya retorted. "Unless you want to be responsible for the loss than I suggest you leave her be."

This time I grimaced as Maya looked at me cautiously. I only glared back, the anger suddenly returning. I hated Maya now, and anyone else who worked for Killian. There was no forgiving what these people had done in order to finish their dirty work. And I doubted Maya even knew what her boss was really up to.

"Go to hell," I muttered under my breath.

"I'm sorry?" Maya asked innocently.

I was about to say something else when I heard a groan coming from beside me. Turning my head slightly I noticed that dad was finally beginning to stir. His eyes widened in shock when he realized where he was. Then they got even bigger, if that was possible, when he spotted me.

"Just like old times, huh?" Maya was sitting on a chair now, looking at dad with a smile.

"Oh yeah, with zip-ties. It's a ball," dad replied groggily.

"It wasn't my idea." Maya only shrugged before turning back to the computer screen. I could see pictures of what looked like plants on the screen, along with files of Extremis.

"Okay, so you took Killian's card." This time I looked at dad in confusion. "I'll explain later," he mouthed to me. I only nodded to show that I understood.

"I took his money," she replied.

"And here you are, thirteen years later in a dungeon."

To me it sounded like dad was trying to convince her that she was in the wrong place. And frankly I would believe him. But I saw how comfortable Maya was here. I would not forgive her for what she was doing.

The two started talking again like they were old friends. Or enemies. I wasn't sure which to choose. Either way I felt a knot form in my stomach as she walked over to dad. She simply smirked as dad locked gazes with her.

"A lot's happened, Tony, but I'm close. Extremis is practically stable," she explained.

"Except that it's not," I retorted. Maye flashed me a glare while dad looked at me in confusion. "Do you even see what's going on here? Extremis is causing people to blow up in the streets because their bodies won't accept it! It's not ready for human use!"

"Then help me fix it." Maya handed dad what looked like an old letter with notes written on it. The words 'You know who I am' could be made out in faded words.

"Did I do that?" dad asked, suddenly more confused than ever.

"Yes," Maya huffed, as if she was offended he didn't remember. Dad could barely remember what he did the day before. She couldn't expect him to remember something from thirteen years ago.

"I remember the night, not the morning. Is this what you've been chasing around?" When Maya nodded she suddenly frowned.

"You don't remember," she muttered crossly.

"I can't help you. You used to have a moral psychology. You used to have ideals. You wanted to help people, now look at you. I get to wake up every morning with people who...still have their souls." He glanced over at me. "Get us out of here," dad suddenly added.

I noticed for the first time that she was actually crying. Maybe she still had a soul, or at least a guilty conscious. But it all happened so fast that I wasn't sure. She turned around and started heading back to her computer as Killian chose that moment to join us.

"You know what my old man used to say to me? One of his favorite of many sayings, 'The early bird gets the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese.'" He clasped his hands together as he approached me, dad struggled even harder to free himself from the bed frame.

"You're not still pissed about the Switzerland thing, are you?" dad asked. All I could do was spit at Killian in the face as he brushed a finger across my hair.

"How can I be pissed at you, Tony? I'm here to thank you," Killian replied with a smirk. "Because of you I now have something that could help make Extremis even more powerful. And you gave me something else as well: Desperation. If you think back to Switzerland, you said you'd meet me on the rooftop, right? Well for the first twenty minutes, I actually thought you'd show up. And the next hour, I...well I considered taking that one step shortcut to the lobby, if you know what I mean."

I wish he had jumped over the roof. Would've saved us all of this trouble that we were in now.

"Honestly, I'm still trying to figure out what happened to the first mouse," dad replied. Killian started walking away, much to my relief, towards the center of the room.

"But as I looked out over that city, nobody knew I was there, nobody could see me, no one was even looking." Sounds like he had such a wonderful life. "I had a thought that would guide me for years to come. Anonymity, Tony. Thanks to you, it's been my mantra ever since, right? You simply rule from behind the scenes."

He paused to let this sink in. All at once I thought back to the Mandarin on the news stories. So the Mandarin was just another puppet under Killian's control.

"Because the second you give evil a face, a Bin Laden, a Gaddafi, The Mandarin, you hand the people a target."

That explained everything. He wanted the Mandarin to throw people off his scent while the Extremis project was being worked on. Suddenly Killian looked back at me, the sly look returning as dad tried struggling once again. All the while Maya seemed perfectly fine with what was going on right in front of her.

"You really are a sick bastard." I kept my voice quiet, but Killian heard it loud and clear. The man's smirk was really getting unnerving as he approached me. By now it sounded like the chains holding dad were about to break free as Killian grazed a finger against my cheek.

My teeth ground together as pain surged through me from the contact. Killian's hand was glowing that sickening red again. He was doing everything in his power to make sure I didn't forget him.

"Are you gonna scream for daddy?" he said in a mocking tone. "I bet you are."

He was about to reach further down when something stopped him. For a moment Killian was left staring at me in confusion and anger. He tried burning me again, but once more nothing happened. In less than a second I noticed something strange occurred.

Maybe Killian didn't see the flash that had blocked his finger. Or the shield that was slowly embracing me. I was suddenly reminded of what Nadia had told me about my powers adapting to the situation. And right now I couldn't be more thankful as Killian let out a grunt of frustration.

"I wanted to offer you a small gift for what you've brought me," Killian added when his hand began to stop glowing. He suddenly threw out the devices he had used earlier, my heart sinking even lower when I saw the holographic images again. "I'm not sure if you can tell, but at this moment the body is trying to decide whether to accept Extremis or just give up."

Finally I couldn't take it any more. Seeing Pepper in that much pain made me sick.

"And if it gives up, I have to say the denotation is...it's quite spectacular. But until that point, it's really just a lot of pain." I forced back the vile that was threatening to overwhelm me as he turned off the devices. "We haven't even talked salary yet." This time he walked over to dad, grabbing him by the throat as dad tried in vein to free himself. "What kind of perk package are you thinking of? Hm?"

This time I started struggling to free myself when Killian's hands started glowing again. I was not going to let him hurt dad anymore than he already had. Suddenly I heard one of the chains snapping loose. In seconds one hand was free, but as I moved to free the other Maya chose that moment to stand up and retaliate. She ignored what Killian was doing and walked over to me before making things even worse.

"Let them go!" she suddenly shouted. "Or she dies." I felt my blood freeze when she aimed a gun towards me.

Both men turned to look at her, dad's eyes widening in horror while Killian only rolled his.

"I said let them go!" she repeated herself, pressing her gun against my head. All I could do was glare at Killian when he told her to calm down. What the hell was he thinking? Telling a woman to calm down was like telling a dog not to go into the garbage. Almost impossible.

And now Maya was even angrier than before, digging the barrel of the gun harder into my head. I tried not to cringe at the pain that followed. Silently I prayed to God that she wouldn't actually pull the trigger.

"What are you doing Maya?" Aldrich demanded after letting go of dad.

Good. That gave me enough time to figure out what I would do next. Flames appeared in the palm of my hand, but Killian and Maya began arguing once more, causing enough of a distraction.

"1200cc's, a dose half of this size. One shot and she's dead," Maya snapped.

"It's times like these my temper is tested somewhat. Maya, give me the injector."

"If she dies, Killian, what happens to your soldiers? What happens to your product? You know she and Tony have the key to stabilize Extremis. Her powers make her unique to Extremis. If we can somehow unlock those powers it may help make Extremis even stronger.

This day just keeps getting better and better. So these assholes wanted to use me as an experiment of some sort. Now, I knew that SHIELD ran tests that were similar to research. But at least SHIELD gave me the one thing these people obviously wouldn't: Freedom.

"You would really use me as an experiment?" My voice suddenly was full of venom. Aldrich didn't even flinch as I gave him a piercing glare, ignoring the fact that Maya still had the gun pointed at me.

"Of course," Killian replied with yet another smirk. "Considering you are not even human, I believe we have every right to run experiments and tests on such a being as yourself."

Almost at once I could hear the echo of chains trying to free themselves. Clearly dad wasn't too pleased with what Killian had said. I wasn't either. There was no way in hell I would become Killian's lab rat.

"If she dies, you'll lose your experiment. Do you really want me to shoot her now?" Maya pressed the barrel of the gun against me once more, sending chills through me.

Aldrich looked at Maya thoughtfully as he considered what she had said. What he did next happened so fast that I wasn't even sure if it was real. The sound of a gunshot rang in my ears, loud and clear. I braced myself for the pain that would follow.

But nothing happened, except for a quiet thud that made my stomach twist once more. My eyes slowly opened to see a body laying beside me, blood pouring out of it. The ringing in my ears made it difficult to hear, but I did hear dad calling Killian a maniac at one point.

That was when things started going to hell. "Monster!" I screamed the words, not caring who heard me at this point. Killian wasn't given a chance to react as I pried my other hand free from the chains holding me.

Pieces of cement were hurdled in his direction as I lost control, letting anger take over. I could hear rusty pipes creaking as water was pulled out of the sewage system. Time seemed to slow down as the whole place started crumbling around me. Dad's voice sounded so distant now as waves started crashing around Killian, who had started making a run for it.

"Ada don't!" By now even my vision was blurred, but I could see well enough that dad was freed from his restraints. My eyes widened in shock when I realized he had a repulser blaster on his hand. Finally the ground stopped shaking, and the waves started to calm. "You're alright... _we're_ alright."

* * *

**AN:... Yeah, not sure what else to add here. Other than this chapter was fun to write ^^ Thanks Spinosa for reviewing! Glad someone who looks at the chapter actually reviews it. I'm thinking once Iron Man 3 plot is over everything will be switched to third person, and I apologize for that in advanced D:**


	8. You're Not the Mandarin

**Chapter Eight**

* * *

_"Brother let me be your shelter, I'll never leave you all alone I can be the one you call When you're low Brother let me be your fortress, When the night winds are driving on Be the one to light the way Bring you home..." Brother, NEEDTOBREATHE_

* * *

"_Are you comin' out?"_

_"Do not open, do not open! Don't open, don't open, don't...!"_

_"Alright, let's go."_

_"You...you breathe fire? Okay."_

_"It's a glorious day, Savin. This time tomorrow, I'll have the West's most powerful leader in one hand, and the world's most feared terrorist in the other. I'll own the War on Terror. Creates supply and demand for you and your brothers and sisters._"

. . .

Everything was quiet. Remains of the building crumbled over our feet as we left it behind. The silence was almost as unnerving as what I had just done. I looked around trying to take everything in.

The building was completely destroyed, save for a single wall that managed to survive the chaos. The guards that had been watching us earlier fled with Killian when they realized what was happening. I doubted even Aldrich Killian was prepared for what happened back there.

But I didn't feel triumphant over the damage I had caused. In fact I felt even worse than I did before. The fact that Maya was killed because of me made me sick. I couldn't help but blame myself, knowing that I probably could have done something to protect her.

Memories of what had happened were still fresh. I could feel the barrel of her gun pressing on my hand. The pressure had slackened just a little when Killian shot her. I think the worst part was listening to the quiet thud that followed. It was like nothing had happened, until my eyes opened to see who was laying at my feet.

More parts from dad's Iron Man suit started flying towards us as we walked on through the complex. My guess was Harley had been charging the suit and finally released it. I noticed for the first time that the watch dad had been wearing earlier was gone.

"What... what happened to the watch?" I asked, wondering if it had something to do with what had happened earlier.

"It got a little damaged," he replied after thinking of what to say.

I bit the bottom of my lip at that. I suppose I owed Harley's sister a new watch. Given the fact that it was a limited edition I don't think I could replace it that easily with a replica.

"Dad, I'm sorry," I suddenly murmured. My voice still sounded shaken, and dad looked at me in what I assumed was concern or anger. All of the parts to his suit had finally returned, and now a mask hid his face. "It was stupid and selfish of me to-" Dad suddenly cut me off by placing a hand on my shoulder, careful not to blast me with the repulser ray.

"Ada, don't you dare blame yourself for the shit that happened back there," he snapped. "Frankly I'm glad you took that building down. Too bad it didn't kill Killian in the process."

I looked down at my feet, suddenly aware that I had almost killed someone. Truthfully I didn't want to kill anyone. But I still felt responsible for what happened to Maya. I'm sure she would have blamed me for what happened if she could.

"All personnel, the Starks are loose and somewhere in the compound. Repeat: The Starks are loose and somewhere in the compound."

I tried not to laugh as a voice sounded over the com. I was walking down the stairs while dad made his way less gracefully making his way down. What made it funny was the fact that they had only just realized we escaped.

"Let's go." Dad tried starting his thrusters, but they wouldn't fire up. "Ah, crap," he muttered.

"Having trouble there?" I tilted my head to one side as I created a breeze in the wind, lifting up a cloud of dust in the process. The wind was one power I didn't use a lot. I often wondered if I could actually fly if the power was used properly.

Suddenly my phone began ringing; I almost forgot I had it, and the noise made me jump in surprise. Dad lifted his faceplate as I looked at who was calling. Without another word I handed the phone to him, knowing Rhodey would want to talk to him. At the same moment I looked up just in time to see the Iron Patriot suit flying across the sky.

"Tony..." Dad put the phone on speaker as we started walking towards what looked like the main building.

"Rhodey, tell me that was you in the suit," dad replied.

"No. You got yours?" My face fell when he said that. So that was probably Killian in Rhodey's suit.

"Uh... um... kind of. Main house as fast as you can. Somebody I'd like you to meet." I looked at dad in confusion. What was he talking about? But he didn't give me the chance to ask.

Quickly we made our way towards what looked like a large mansion. Unfortunately that was the easy part. To my surprise the surrounding outside area wasn't all that heavily guarded. I had to knock out one or two guards before following dad towards the front gate. But that was about it. What I did notice was the fact that there were so many young and pretty women wandering around the complex. I wasn't sure whether or not I should be disgusted or impressed.

Killian really was a creepy asshole. I definitely didn't want to know why he kept so many women around. I'm sure he had his reasons, and I didn't want to be part of their crew.

The front porch was protected by a large wrought iron gate. Seeing the gate made me wonder just how good the security was inside. I'm sure that if the right tools weren't used it would be difficult to get the gate opened. But dad was quick to open it with ease, revealing an elegant looking entry way.

I was left with the conclusion that Killian was not only a creepy asshole, but a rich one at that. This mansion was beautiful on the outside, with the front nicely decorated by two large marble pillars. Colorful flowers and succulent plants also covered the steps leading up to the front door, making it seem bright and welcoming at first glance. But to me this place had a more menacing side to it.

Already I could feel the tension building as we got inside; dad had blasted the front door off with his repulser ray. The women inside were scattering in different directions, having realized what was happening.

After walking up a flight of stairs it didn't take us long to find where the Mandarin was being held. Two guards were posted in front of the door, and from what it looked like they were bored. With one swift kick I managed to push down the first guard and knock him out. Dad moved fast in order to knock out the second, his repulser rays leaving a cloud of smoke in the process.

"What's this? I had winner's," dad announced as he held up a ping-pong racket. I tried not to smirk as the stranger in the bed looked at us in surprise. How dad got his hands on that ping-pong racket I wouldn't know. But it was still funny to watch the stranger's reaction.

"What've you come as?" Before the speaker could move I aimed my hands towards him, a ball of fire forming in them in seconds. His eyes widened in horror when he realized who, or what he was up against. Then I looked at him in disgust when I finally took the stranger in.

This guy... didn't look like the Mandarin. The beard looked way too familiar. But other than that he looked like someone that was dragged out of the nearest bar. To make matters worse he stank of something I didn't even want to describe.

Just as he was about to talk Rhodes smashed his way into the room, breaking the window in the process. Now the Mandarin looked like he was ready to panic.

"You make a move and I'll break your face," Rhodes ordered as he aimed his gun at the Mandarin.

"I never thought people had been hurt. They lied to me," he stammered.

Rhodes and I looked at dad in confusion. "This is the Mandarin?" Rhodes asked.

"I know, it's...it's...it's embarrassing," dad muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose in the process.

"Hi, Trevor. Trevor...Slattery," the guy leaned forward for a handshake, but I quickly slapped it away. "I know, I'm shorter in person, bit small, everyone says that. But, um...hey, if you're here to arrest me, uh...there are some people who I'd like to roll on. Immediately."

In less than ten seconds I lunged forward and grabbed the Mandarin's hand, twisted it back and threw him to the bed. The Mandarin yelped in pain as I flipped him on the bed face-first with his arm twisted behind his back. Neither dad or Rhodes made a move to stop me. This was all for what had happened to Happy and Pepper. I would have to remember to thank Natasha for teaching me those moves when this was over.

"Tell me where Pepper is now, or the pain is about to get much worse," I snapped as I put pressure into his arm.

"Oh, I get it! Ow! That hurt! I get it! I get it! I don't know about any Pepper, but I know about the plan."

"Remind me not to get on your bad side," Rhodes murmured as soon as I released the Mandarin.

"So what now?" A few minutes passed as Rhodes explained what had happened while we were captured. To my surprise the President had been kidnapped. I had no doubt Killian was responsible for this mess.

While Rhodes and dad came up with a plan I realized that my phone had a missed call. I looked down at the screen to see that a message was left from Coulson. Glancing back at dad, I carefully picked up my phone to find out that Coulson's team was on their way to my coordinates.

"SHIELD's on their way," I announced after hanging up.

"Good, you can stay here and make sure this... whatever this is stays," dad told me. I only glared back, but I knew for a fact that he wouldn't want me taking part in this battle. So all I could do was shrug and nod in agreement.

"You better get back safely, and make sure that Pepper's okay," I murmured, giving him a hug. The suit made that a little difficult, but I managed.

"I promise."

I was going to make sure he held up on that promise. An awkward silence filled the room once they were gone. The Mandarin was given a lovely yacht that dad and Rhodes would be taking. Hopefully by than dad could get his suit up and running.

Thankfully the wait wasn't too long. Coulson's team had arrived moments after dad and Rhodes were gone. I truly did wish that I could join dad and Rhodes in their final battle against the _real_ Mandarin. There were so many things that were left unsaid and done.

"That's the Mandarin?" Skye couldn't help but laugh when she saw the Mandarin being walked off to one of the prison cells, led by none other than agent May. The older woman simply nodded in acknowledgement when she walked past me, not bothering to say anything.

"Yeah, it's a long story," I murmured. "So, you're new to the team huh?" I followed her onto the BUS as the plane started getting ready to leave.

The BUS had been parked nearby after dodging what was left of the warehouse we were trapped in. I tried not to flinch when I realized I would have to explain what had happened back there. Hopefully I could leave out some details.

"I've been with the team for a couple of weeks now," she explained with a shrug. "Coulson he... he took me in when I should have probably been arrested."

For the first time I noticed that she actually looked guilty, or ashamed. Probably a bit of both. I understood where she was getting at though. Coulson had a way of making people feel that way when they did do something wrong. I've learned that from first experience.

"I hate to ask but... is it true you can control all of the elements? And that you're not human?" Now it was Skye's turn to bomb me with questions. Honestly I'm surprised she hasn't asked me sooner. I did feel bad for pretty much ignoring her upon my first time here.

"Sort of, and yes, it is true," I replied. "I'm not exactly sure about the full extent of my powers. Even SHIELD doesn't know." Which is probably part of the reason why they wanted me to join. I knew most of the reason: They wanted to learn more about the Aliquid. Only way to do that was offer me a place.

"Must be nice to know you can defend yourself."

To my surprise she almost sounded bitter. But I didn't say anything to that, knowing whatever I said wouldn't be of any help. We continued walking on in silence, until we made our way to what made up their living space. It wasn't a very big space, but what they had was nice enough.

Two large sofas were placed on either side of the plane. A flat screen television with the SHIELD logo on it was placed on the wall in front of us. Two doors were on either side of the television; one led to the main lab and the other to their sleeping quarters. All in all it was cozy.

"We've managed to find a cure for Extremis." My shoulders sagged in relief when I reached the lab, hearing Fitz and Simmons' familiar voices.

"Really?" I eyed the device they were working on in surprise. Supposedly dad was the only one who could find a cure to Extremis. But if anyone could crack the code, it was FitzSimmons. They were like the perfect team when it came down to anything science related.

"It's good to see you're alive." All four of us looked up to see that Coulson had joined us. "From the intel we gathered you put up one hell of a fight back there," he added with the faintest of smiles.

Wait, when did they gather intel? I wasn't sure what to say to that, other than they must have questioned the surviving guards that were captured. Either that or the fake Mandarin exaggerated what happened in his room.

"I just wish I could join them in the final battle," I murmured. Guilt gnawed at my stomach as I thought of what was happening to dad right now. And the worst part was I didn't know if Pepper was safe. I had to keep reassuring myself that they would be fine. Dad knew what he was getting himself into.

"Your father would have my head if I sent you into that fight," Coulson reminded me.

"I wouldn't let him anywhere near your head," I retorted. Agent Coulson only smirked when I said that. He knew that I wasn't lying.

"Can we go and meet Mr. Stark?" Skye broke the awkward silence that followed, her eyes lit up with curiosity and hope.

"Not now," Coulson told her. "You're not ready," he added when her face fell.

My pacing continued as I thought of how I could get there. With dad and Rhodes off fighting Killian and his army of Extremis soldiers, there was no telling what would happen next. The last thing I wanted was for any of them to get hurt. Especially on Christmas.

"Can you please stop your pacing already?" I rolled my eyes at the tone of Grant's voice. Of all the people on this plane, I disliked him the most. I didn't know him very well. I'd only heard rumors and seen files on him that he preferred working alone. That before he joined SHIELD he was a rebel. Aside from that I hated the fact that he treated everyone like newbies.

"Not until I know for sure Pepper is safe," I snapped, ignoring the look he gave me. He was lounging out on the sofa while Skye and Coulson talked. And of course Coulson chose that moment to overhear what I'd said.

"What did you say about Pepper?" Way to start actually looking worried now.

"Killian gave her a dose of Extremis," I explained after taking a deep breath. "Last I saw her body was debating whether or not it should accept Extremis."

I couldn't help but picture what Killian had showed us hours ago. Seeing her in that much pain made me wish I had smacked the living crap out of Killian. It wasn't until I felt a hand on my shoulder that I realized what was happening.

"You need to calm down, Ada." Coulson's voice had dropped to a whisper, but I heard it loud and clear.

Taking a deep breath, I focused my energy on anything but my anger until I finally calmed down. The fact is I've lost control far too many times in a short span of days. I didn't want to be responsible for taking down the BUS.

"Why exactly does she need to stay calm?" Skye's question made me look at her in surprise, while Coulson only raised an eyebrow. I'm guessing that he hasn't filled her in.

"We'll explain later," he suddenly replied. "Ada, do you think you can hack into your dad's coordinates?" My eyes lit up when he asked that. I could do that with my eyes closed.

"Give me five minutes," I replied. This shouldn't take long at all.

. . .

"_Hi."_

_"You think he's gonna help you...he won't."_

_"Having you here is not just to motivate Tony Stark, it's um...it's actually more embarrassing than that. You're here as my, um..."_

_"Trophy."_

_"Good evening, sir. Welcome aboard, Mr. President._"

. . .

"_Ever hear of an elephant graveyard? Well, two years ago, the elephant in the room was this scow."_

_"This is the Roxxon Norco."_

_"And of course you'll remember that when she spilled a million gallons of crude off Pensacola, thanks to you, not one fat cat saw a day in court."_

_"What do you want from me?"_

_"Uh...nothing, sir. I just needed a reason to kill you that would play well on TV. You see, I've moved on. I've found myself a new political patron, and at this time tomorrow, he'll have your job."_

_"String him up._"

* * *

**AN: With there being a live-show tonight at Disney World I'll be away for most of the night for tonight and tomorrow. All of meh favorite groups will be attending, from Sanctus Real to Casting Crowns and Hillsong United :) Super excited! Also wanted to thank Guest and Spinosa for reviewing. You guys are awesome! :)**


	9. Life Goes On

**Chapter Nine**

* * *

_"With our backs to the wall, the darkness will fall, We never quite thought we could lose it all Ready, aim, fire, ready, aim, fire..." Ready Aim Fire, Imagine Dragons_

* * *

"_Come on."_

_"You're not gonna freak out on me, right?"_

_"I hope not."_

_"Oh, my God."_

_"He's strung up over the oil tank, they're gonna light him up, man."_

_"Viking funeral. Public execution."_

_"Yeah, death by oil."_

_"Broadcast will commence shortly. Take final positions."_

_"Okay, that's good. Now give me cameras A through E and we'll do a full tech rehearsal._"

. . .

Locating his coordinates was easy enough. I'm surprised he didn't make it more difficult to hack into the files. Skye was sitting right next to me, eyes wide with fascination as I typed away furiously at the computer. It was a little unnerving having someone watch my every move like this. To me she was acting like a kid in a candy shop. At least SHIELD had a way of watching me without making it seem like they were there.

"Sir, he's off of the coast somewhere on an oil rig," I explained after tapping into dad's database. The Iron Man suit was like a beacon to me.

"We've got a bigger problem," Coulson sighed once I wrote down the coordinates. I looked at him in surprise as he stood between me and Skye. "Those AIM agents managed to snag the President. They're about to perform a public execution."

My heart began racing faster as I tried figuring out what this meant. This was bad. No, this was worse than bad. Public execution hasn't happened in the last hundred years as far as I was concerned, at least in the United States.

"I'm going down there," I finally murmured.

Images already showed up on the screen. Once we found the coordinates it was easy enough to send a drone down there. And it looked like a war zone. Extremis soldiers were setting the place on fire, and from what it looked like there were hundreds of Iron Man suits flying about blasting them.

Dad really did have way too much free time on his hands.

"Wow, are all those his?" Skye asked with an intake of breath. Glancing over my shoulder I noticed that she was watching with wide eyes. Major fangirl moment here?

"I may have helped build some of them," I muttered under my breath. Yes I did help build some of the suits. No dad never let me use them. He claimed they were too dangerous for someone my age. Every time he tried pointing that out I rolled my eyes at him. He clearly had no idea who he was dealing with.

After offering some dinner before we reached our destination, I decided to get suited up. For the first time I hadn't realized how long it had been since I last ate. When Coulson offered me a snack I quickly ate it up, thankful to have something.

The suit I had on was a classic SHIELD suit, with one design difference. Coulson had the liberty to add something on the right shoulder, and it caught my attention. I stared at the mirror in front of me for a few minutes, trying to gather what made Coulson put the symbol there in the first place.

To me the A symbol was a bit dramatic, and stood out. It could mean several things, such as the name of my people, or the Avengers. Closing my eyes at the thought I had to laugh. There was no way in hell I could be an Avenger. True Fury had offered me a place on the team, but I preferred working for SHIELD.

I stared at the rest of my face in shock once I tried thinking of something else.

I couldn't believe how much I had changed in such a short amount of time. My face still had a few bruises from where Killian's guards had slapped me. Truthfully I was kind of glad they were still there. They would be a personal reminder of how much I wanted to kick Killian's ass.

Once my hair was pulled up into a ponytail I reached the living quarters in seconds. Skye and Ward were already there, while Fitz and Simmons were somewhere in the lab. I thought about seeing what they were up to when my better judgement told me to leave it be.

"Nice suit." Skye eyed the suit curiously, probably wondering if she would get one of her own someday.

"It's a bit much for my taste." I couldn't help but say that.

"Has anyone said that you're nothing like your dad?" Grant suddenly asked.

To my surprise the comment made me blush. Instead of answering I just shrugged in response. The silence only got more awkward when May announced that the BUS was reaching it's destination. Truthfully I've never actually compared myself to dad.

Same snappy attitude as dad with a child-like demeanor. That was what I'd been told a few months ago. Yet there were some things that made us completely different. Like the fact that I actually got along with SHIELD, to some extent.

"Agent Stark, remember to be careful down there." I glanced over at Ward in surprise when he said that.

_There's a hidden message in those words_, I thought warily. I shook my head at the thoughts, trying to cast them away. Right now I had bigger things to worry about.

. . .

"_Honey."_

_"Oh, my God. That was really violent."_

_"You just scared the devil out of me. I thought you were..."_

_"I was dead. Why? Because I fell two hundred feet? Who's the hot mess now?"_

_"It's still debatable. Probably tipping your way a little bit. Why don't you dress like this at home? Hmm? Sport bra, the whole deal."_

_"You know, I think I understand why you don't want to give up the suits. What I am gonna complain about now?"_

_"Well, it's me. I'll think of somethin'. Come here, babe."_

_"No, don't touch me!"_

_"No, don't worry about it."_

_"No, I'm gonna burn you!"_

_"No, no, you're not."_

_"See. Not hot."_

_"Am I gonna be okay?"_

_"No, you're in a relationship with me, everything will never be okay. But I think I can figure this out, yeah. I almost had this twenty years ago when I was drunk. I think I can get you better. That's what I do, I fix stuff."_

_"And all your distractions?"_

_"Uh...I'm gonna shave them down a little bit._"

. . .

The air was rancid with fire and burning flesh. It took a while for my eyes to adjust to the harsh light coming from the fire. The heat radiating from the flames was almost overwhelming. But thankfully the suit Coulson had designed for me was pretty much fireproof.

With a deep breath I ran along the docks, using the water around me to put out what fires I could. Most of the carnage was from the fire and the Iron Man suits. I didn't even see any Extremis soldiers from where I was standing.

I was standing in the middle of an oil rig that was nearly engulfed by flames. This wasn't exactly one of my brighter ideas.

A blast of cold wind suddenly whipped past my face as I sprinted through the field of debris. I avoided anything that looked like it might cave in. The metal underneath my feet was already making creaking noises, and I was afraid one wrong step could land me in the ocean down below.

Finally I could make out two figures standing in the distance. A thick cloud of smoke was making it hard to see. I had to squint my eyes in order to make sure they weren't deceiving me.

Dad and Pepper were holding each other in an embrace. All at once a wave of relief washed over me. They were safe, and that was what mattered the most.

Now I wasn't sure what to do. Knowing that I'd be ruining a moment of alone time between them, it would be rude to just make a sudden appearance. Plus dad would already be suspicious enough if he knew SHIELD was involved.

I was about to turn and call for a quinjet when Pepper took notice of me.

"Ada?" Her look of surprise told me that she had only just realized I was there.

Dad's look of confusion turned to one of worry and annoyance. I couldn't tell if he was annoyed with me or SHIELD. Either way I'm sure he would chew me out for going behind his back later on. Before he could protest I made a full sprint towards them.

"Tell me it's over," I gasped after catching my breath. Glancing around I noticed that everything was unusually quiet, aside from the Iron Man suits still flying around above us.

"It's over, Ada." Dad's voice was surprisingly quiet as he watched me carefully. "What's with the suit? Expecting some kind of fight?"

I only shook my head before thinking of a quick response. "Boss's orders to wear it," I explained with a shrug. "Pepper, thank God you're alright!" I suddenly exclaimed as I gave her a hug. She wasted no time in wrapping her arms around me, still looking more surprised than anything else. "I mean technically you're not okay with the Extremis but... we found a cure for it," I quickly added.

"We?" She looked at me and dad in an almost accusing expression.

"Look, I had nothing to do with that," dad pointed out. "Well, SHIELD probably hacked into my files and found the cure from what I had written down already."

Wow, way to let your pride take over dad. But he did have a point. FitzSimmons wouldn't have been able to find the cure if they hadn't read some of SHIELD's older files. That didn't matter. Right now I was just thankful they were both okay, and that Pepper would eventually be okay as well.

"Jarvis? Hey?" Dad suddenly tapped on the earpiece that he always seemed to wear. "You know what to do."

I looked at dad in confusion when he said that. But the moment he said screw it it's Christmas, the Iron Man suits started exploding. The noise made me jump in surprise. Judging from the smirk dad was wearing he knew I would do that. With a single roll of my eyes I watched the scene unfold before me.

From down here the explosions looked more like fireworks being set off. It was a beautiful sight to see, despite having to watch all the Iron Man suits explode. Guess dad would have to start all over again.

I can't believe that I missed Christmas. Yet here I was surrounded by my family, dad and Pepper. Yes I included Pepper as part of my family, because she had helped raise me when dad was distracted. And I couldn't ask for a better moment than this.

"Merry Christmas you two," dad said after giving Pepper another kiss and patting me on the shoulder.

I had to admit, this was one of the best Christmas's I've had in a long time. Presents weren't all that important to me. Being surrounded by family and friends, the ones who really cared about me, that was what felt important. And I couldn't be happier.

. . .

"_So if I were to wrap this up tight with a bow or whatever, I guess I'd say my armor, it was never a distraction or a hobby, it was a cocoon. And now, I'm a changed man. You can take away my house, all my tricks and toys. One thing you can't take away... I am Iron Man._"

. . .

January 2nd, 2013

It's surprising how fast life can change in a short span of days. The challenges that life can throw at you is almost impossible to face. But when you overcome those challenges they make you stronger. Happy was now awake from his coma, and slowly recovering. That news alone had made my day.

Every few days dad and I would visit the hospital to see his progress. Now Happy was well enough to check everyone's IDs when someone entered the room. I couldn't help but laugh the first time he'd asked for ID when a nurse entered the room.

Now I was standing in what was left of the mansion. Dad was picking up what he could salvage from the pile of debris. The silence was almost as deafening as the waves crashing against the rocky bluff.

It was strange thinking that this had all happened in only a span of two weeks. One minute I was thinking of what I should get everyone for Christmas and than this happened.

"Will rebuild the mansion, make it better than before," dad pointed out reassuringly. He was holding on to a wheelbarrow with remains of what looked like Dummy and a few other robotic parts. "It may take a while, but it will happen."

"You know, we do always have the Tower," I replied after giving it some thought.

With the way things were going at Stark Industries, it wouldn't be hard for dad to fly back and forth from New York to California every couple of days. Plus it would give me a chance to work closer with SHIELD since one of their bases happened to be in the city.

"Actually I think it's time we got the team together," dad suddenly murmured thoughtfully. I only looked at him in surprise.

Since when has dad ever worked well with others? And where exactly was he going with this?

Judging by the smirk on his face, I suddenly didn't want to know.

* * *

**AN: Happy Saturday! Last night's concert was AMAZING! Hillsong United was probably the best part of the closing act. And now I get the chance to brag about the fact that I saw them live :D Tonight's shows include MercyMe, Casting Crowns, Skillet and a few other good artists. So look up Night of Joy and you won't be disappointed! Also wanted to thank ellowthwen of lothlorien and Spinosa for reviewing. You guys are amazing :D**


	10. Interviews With The Press

**Chapter Ten**

* * *

_"'Cause I'm on top of the world, 'ay, I'm on top of the world, 'ay Waiting on this for a while now, Paying my dues to the dirt I've been waiting to smile, 'ay, Been holding it in for a while, 'ay Take you with me if I can, Been dreaming of this since a child I'm on top of the world..." On Top of the World, Imagine Dragons_

* * *

"Stark, this has to be one of your dumbest ideas yet."

Dad only grinned like an idiot when Clint said that. I couldn't agree more with Clint, but of course I couldn't say that out loud.

We had the team assembled in the tower, minus Thor. He was still in Asgard fixing whatever problems Loki had caused. Meanwhile I was listening to a wonderful 'plan' that dad had in mind for the day. And that plan involved dealing with the press.

Just the idea of dealing with the press again brought back bad memories.

Last time we did that was when dad's Iron Man suit nearly got taken away from him by the government. Thankfully we had won that case, but that didn't make dealing with the press any easier.

I can still remember the first time I'd been ambushed by a news reporter. This was long before dad had built the Iron Man suit. Pepper and I had been grocery shopping at the time when the press suddenly jumped us both. Thankfully Pepper had dealt with the press before and managed to run them off.

"Come on, it's just for one day, and the world already sees her as an Avenger," dad pointed out.

This time I couldn't help but stiffen at the mention of being an Avenger. Fury had the folder all ready. If I continued my training through SHIELD it meant I wouldn't have the time to become an Avenger.

"Why don't you let her decide before you jump to conclusions?" Steve suddenly suggested. For once I shot him a thankful look, but dad only brushed his remark off.

"Nope, I've already got it scheduled for today, right outside the tower," dad explained. "Come on, it'll be fun."

All I could do was glare when he patted me on the shoulder. I had a feeling this was going to be anything but fun. And as usual I had no say in the matter as dad walked off to discuss plans with everyone else. Meanwhile I was left standing there and glaring at his back.

"You don't look too thrilled." I didn't need to look up to see who was talking. Bruce didn't sound too happy either judging by the tone in his voice. Considering dad had called him to join us just a few hours ago, I can see why.

"He's always doing this behind my back," I muttered crossly.

Bruce looked at me thoughtfully as I headed for the bar. I may not be old enough to drink but there were times when one needed to wind down. And this was one of those moments.

"I thought you would _want_ to be an Avenger." The implication in his tone made me flinch once again.

There was no way in hell I could be ready for the tasks that lay ahead. Yet dad and everyone else seemed to think I was more than ready. I glared at the now empty shot glass before thinking of an answer.

"Look, just because everyone else thinks I'm ready doesn't mean I am," I sighed. "The fact is when I signed up for SHIELD I never thought of even becoming a hero. I'm just so afraid that I'll..." I stopped before saying what really needed to be said. My fists had already clenched at the thought of what might happen if something went wrong. And Bruce caught on pretty quickly.

"You're afraid of losing control again," he suggested.

I simply nodded in response, refusing to meet his curious gaze. In a span of two weeks I had lost control of my powers twice. That action had likely killed several people in the process. I couldn't forgive myself for what I had done.

"You know what it's like." My voice dropped to a whisper; the last thing I wanted was for dad or anyone else to hear. "To lose control." My grip on the glass suddenly tightened, to the point where it started to break. Bruce suddenly put a hand on my shoulder, the same way dad would when he was comforting me.

"Sometimes losing control is the only answer," he told me. "Now I may be a doctor but I'm not _that_ kind of a doctor." I smirked when he said that, knowing full well what he meant. "Just remember what I said about channeling your inner peace. Unleash your power when you need it the most."

Suddenly dad clasped his hands together as everyone else heard the plans for today. I raised an eyebrow as I swung around on my stool to face him. By now Bruce had gotten up and was talking quietly with Natasha, while Clint looked bored and Steve just looked flat-out annoyed.

"You ready?" Dad looked at me cautiously as I followed his gaze. I wasn't necessarily dressed for the part. But if dad was forcing me to do this than I wasn't going to oblige by dressing up. "Good, alright everyone, let's put on our happy faces."

I looked at dad skeptically when he grinned like an idiot. Judging by the looks everyone else was giving him, they were not fond of this idea.

"Remind me again why I haven't kicked your ass yet?" Clint muttered as we headed for the elevator.

"Because you don't have the money to pay for it," dad retorted.

"Would you two stop acting like children already?" Natasha groaned with a roll of her eyes.

"I thought the point of being an Avenger was to keep it secret," Clint suddenly added.

The two continued going at it for a few minutes before Natasha finally punched Clint in the ribs, shutting him up instantly. Meanwhile I managed to leave a nasty bruise on dad's shoulder when he gave Clint a smug look.

Really, if they were going to act like children than we would treat them like children. It was only fair.

After what felt like hours of waiting the elevator finally reached the first floor. And already a large crowd of people were waiting in the main lobby. I tried not to gape at the crowd gathered inside, SHIELD agents keeping them from running us over.

Embarrassment washed over me as several people started asking me questions already. The crowd was situated in the center of the lobby while an announcer started going on about how the Avengers had helped save the world from the alien attack. Then after that the announcer turned to dad, who had already waved to several people and signed their autographs.

"Mr. Stark, I just wanted to thank you for hosting such an important event to the public," the announcer said with the biggest smile I'd ever seen.

"Sir, is it true that your daughter is adopted?" one of the reporters, a woman with long dark brown hair, asked. Her question was one that many before had asked, and could be answered with ease.

"Yes it is true," dad replied before I could open my mouth.

"What were the other Avengers doing while you dealt with the Mandarin?" I looked at the reporter asking the question in shock. It wasn't a question that either of us were expecting. How much could we tell them?

"I'm afraid that information is classified," Natasha answered for us. Dad opened his mouth to say something when she shot him a glare. I couldn't help but smirk at dad's reaction as he huddled beside me. If there's one thing I've learned it's not to piss of Natasha.

"Are the Avengers going to live in Stark Tower now?" another reporter dared to ask.

"That's debatable," Steve replied.

A few more questions were asked before the attention was somehow drawn to me. I tried hiding myself between Clint and Natasha while a few reporters started directing their questions towards me.

"Miss Stark, is it true that you have powers?" I eyed the reporter in question warily. If any of them happened to work for the Black Knights it would be impossible to know. But I suppose I had no choice but to answer a few questions at least.

"Yes," I sighed after giving it some thought.

"Are you some kind of mutant?"

"What do you feel about the war between mutants and humans?"

I froze at all the questions they were starting to ask, not entirely sure how to answer. Finally Natasha stepped up and shot them all a look that shut them up in seconds. I gave her a thankful look before answering asking for one question at a time.

"How does _Mr_. Stark feel about his daughter being an Avenger?" That question caught me off guard. I looked at dad, waiting for him to say something. Instead his face was a mask, like he didn't know or understand the question at hand.

"I don't know." The words came out loud and clear, causing several of the reporters to start jotting down notes on their notepads or making sure the recorders were working properly.

"I think that's enough questions for one day." I held back a sigh of relief when Steve said those words.

Before the crowd could argue more SHIELD agents stopped by to make sure they left. The fact that SHIELD was involved should make me feel even more worried. Dad's expression suddenly got dark until I waved my hand in front of his face.

"You okay in there?" I asked warily.

"Yep, never better," dad suddenly replied, making us all look at him in concern. "Look, since you're an Avenger now it might be a good idea for you to stay here instead of reporting to SHIELD."

Rolling my eyes in annoyance, I decided not to dwell on it. The fact that he was pretty much 'ordering' me to stay here should make me a little suspicious. But at this point I figured there was no point in getting angry about it.

Clearly something was bothering dad. With the interviews all said and done, it was time to get back to doing nothing again. I wouldn't go back to work until the following morning, when everything was settled down.

This whole interview with the public thing just seemed downright pointless. I wondered if this was dad's idea of getting revenge for all of the times I'd scared him. Though he would never admit it putting my life in danger probably took ten years off of him. I hated making him feel that way, considering all that's happened between us.

"Do you know what just happened back there?" Steve's question made me think back to the way dad had looked. I shook my head and thought back to what had happened at the bar when we were with Rhodes. That day he had suffered from a major anxiety attack.

"He had an anxiety attack," I replied quietly. Steve stopped short and looked at me in surprise. By now everyone else had returned to the living space. They would likely leave tomorrow before putting up with dad drove them to insanity.

"Since when does the great Tony Stark have anxiety attacks?" Glancing over my shoulder I noticed that dad was acting like himself again. He was talking to Bruce again like they were old friends, even laughing a few times at some jokes. It was like nothing had happened.

The more I thought about it the stranger it seemed. Why would dad of all people start having anxiety attacks again? He had been doing well up until now, as far as I knew. Maybe Pepper could figure out what was going on. After all he seemed to talk to her more often than to me. And I couldn't blame him for his lack of trust, as much as it hurt.

Sometimes being a SHIELD agent sucks. It takes away all of the trust people have in you when they find out.

"I'll see you in the morning," I said with a wave. Truth be told I needed to get away and have some time to think.

With everything going on I haven't really had the chance to relax. True after the whole Mandarin incident I did, but that was only for a day. After that it was right back to work. Between training with SHIELD and visiting Happy in the hospital, life just got busier and busier.

Speaking of Happy, he was finally moved from the hospital a couple of days ago. Though he still needed continuous care from a nurse he was better than he had been weeks ago. When Fury told me what happened I couldn't be happier.

As I got into my room I closed the door shut, careful not to alert anyone.

"Jarvis, when was the last time dad had an anxiety attack?" I asked after hacking into the security program. Thanks to dad Jarvis pretty much ran all the security in this place. Maybe Jarvis would know what was going on with dad.

"Around 3:38 in the morning Mr. Stark had an anxiety attack, Miss Stark," came the AI's response.

Well that's just great. It sounds to me like there's more to what happened today than even dad was letting on. I wish there was more I could do for him, considering all that was happening.

After shutting off the computer in my room I decided to take a break and rest for a bit. Maybe rest was exactly what I needed at this point.

* * *

**AN: So this was a bit of a random chapter that I thought of :P I thought it would be fun to add a sort of interview for Ada's new life as an Avenger, since now she pretty much officially is one. Also wanted to put out there: MercyMe is now my all time favorite group. And Bart Millard is officially my hero for what he's gone through and achieved. So glad I got to see their online concert! Anywho... big thanks to ellethwen of lothlorien and Spinosa for reviewing! You guys are awesome :D**


	11. Part Two: Rude Awakening

**Chapter Eleven**

* * *

_"Tell me would you kill to save a life? Tell me would you kill to prove you're right? Crash, crash, burn, let it all burn This hurricane's chasing us all underground..." Hurricane, 30 Seconds To Mars_

* * *

I was rudely woken up by the sound of an alarm blaring in my room. Almost at once I got up, my heart racing at the annoying sound.

"Avengers, we've got a problem." Fury's voice sounded serious, as usual. Groggily I rubbed my head and realized that something really did happen. Fury didn't normally hack into dad's system unless it was a _real_ emergency.

With a groan of frustration I looked at the nearest clock and saw that it was only four in the morning. Wow, no wonder I'm so damn tired.

Trying to shake the thought off I quickly got ready; putting on my SHIELD uniform and brushing what dad used to call my jungle for hair. Right now I could see why he called it that. I tried not to laugh at the memory as I tied my hair up into a ponytail once more.

As I made my way down to the living space I saw that dad and everyone else was already gathered. Dad rubbed his face as he tried waking up, Natasha elbowing him every now and than as I reached them. Sure enough Director Fury's face was plastered on the television screen as he waited for everyone to join him.

"What's the deal Fury, it's four thirty in the mor-" Natasha jabbed Clint in the shoulders before he could continue, earning a smirk from me and dad.

"One of SHIELD bases was just destroyed about an hour ago," Fury explained.

"And let me guess, you want us to investigate it," I suggested. Sounded about right, but why would SHIELD let one of their bases get destroyed? Something didn't seem quite right here.

"Yes. Something tells me that this didn't happen under random circumstances." I nodded in agreement as Fury went over where the team should meet up with him. If what he said was true than it was possible that this could be an inside job. "A quinjet is already waiting for you on the landing pad," Fury said before signing off.

It's never a dull day here with the Avengers. This was my first official mission as an Avenger, and suddenly it felt like a lump was forming in my throat. We were just investigating an exposed SHIELD base. There was nothing too dangerous or risky about that, right?

"Jarvis, let Pepper know we're gonna be late for that dinner tonight," dad called as he put on the Iron Man suit. As it turned out he had a few extra suits hidden in the tower. And all of them were able to be called like the last one that had gotten destroyed.

"Understood sir. Shall I cancel your 2:00 appointment as well?" I looked at dad in surprise when Jarvis said that. Dad only shook his head and smirked before saying yes.

Whatever the appointment was I'd probably never know. All I did know was that I needed to grab my things before we left. I should've done that earlier but I was in too much of a hurry to bother. This time though I'm glad I stopped by.

A box hidden in one of my dressers was standing out like a sore thumb right about now. I looked at the object in confusion as I pulled it out. A faint light could be made out inside, and for a moment I thought maybe I had put a flashlight in there. Then I realized how stupid that sounded. Right, what idiot would leave a flashlight turned on and store it in a box?

Shaking my head at the idea, I opened the box to see what was going on. My eyes widened in shock when I saw the purple stone I had found months ago. Not only was it glowing, but I could feel heat radiating from it as I placed my hand over the opening.

The hell? I don't remember it giving off _this_ much heat. Glaring at the stone, I realized that if I kept it in the box it might catch on fire. With a groan of frustration I put on a pair of fireproof gloves before picking it up.

If there's one thing I've learned after living with dad for most of my life, it's to bring anything fireproof. Guess it was time to stuff the stone in a pocket before it became obvious. By now the glowing had stopped, like taking it out of the box was the answer.

"Ada, where the hell are you?" Clint's voice sounded through my earpiece, causing me to jump in surprise. I'd almost forgotten I was wearing it.

"Give me three minutes," I replied before throwing out the box.

Before he could protest I grabbed the knife I always kept under my pillow. Yet another rule of thumb when you're working in the spy business: Always keep some kind of weapon with you. Even when you're sleeping your life could still be in danger.

Once I'd gathered all of my supplies I was quick to make my way to the quinjet, and under two minutes. I think that's a new record. Dad's always fashionably late, and I can't stand being late.

"Took ya long enough," Clint muttered.

"Shut up Clint." He only smirked as I rolled my eyes. Anyone else would've gotten slugged in the shoulder.

Steve and Bruce were already strapped in as I sat between them, Natasha sat beside Clint as usual. I spotted dad keeping an eye on us from above in his Iron Man suit. I took a deep breath as the quinjet took off, heading towards it's destination.

According to the coordinates Fury had sent us, the base was somewhere near the edge of New York state. What bothered me more than anything was that it had happened so close to home. Well, our second home at least.

We weren't as safe as everyone assumed.

"We're just going there to look for clues," Steve pointed out as Bruce started asking whether or not there would be conflict. I couldn't blame the guy for worrying. If he Hulked out now it would be very bad, for all of us.

With all that was going on I tried distracting myself from what I knew would happen. My mind was already occupied with so many thoughts. The scenery had already begun to change as the urban jungle was replaced with a few homes here and there, along with fields and forests.

Few people realized that New York was a fairly large state. And that despite it being home to one of the most famous cities in the United States, it was also home to many natural wonders as well. I could already see what looked like the Delaware River before the quinjet started descending.

"We're approaching the destination, landing time should be in a few minutes," Natasha announced.

A familiar lurching feeling in my stomach followed as the quinjet began to make it's landing. It was like the feeling you get when you're going downhill on a roller coaster. I've always enjoyed that feeling; the adrenaline that followed was amazing. But of course there were others who couldn't stand it, and that someone happened to be Bruce of all people. I looked over at him and noticed that he looked paler than usual.

"You okay?" I asked cautiously. Truth be told I was more worried that he might Hulk out on us, especially if he was under stress. Thankfully he only looked at me before nodding.

"I've been through worse," he replied. I tried not to laugh when I noticed that he was gripping the seat for dear life. So much for that statement.

Finally the quinjet made a safe landing, thanks to Clint's expert piloting. The three of us in the back were quick to unstrap ourselves and grab our supplies before stepping out. Dad was waiting for us outside already in his Iron Man suit, and I could imagine he had a smirk on his face.

"What took you guys so long?" His question earned a glare from Clint while Natasha rolled her eyes. "Right, so what exactly does Fury want us to look for?" he asked as we headed for what was left of the building.

"From what I gathered any survivors, but Fury said there were no scans of any life forms in the facility after the explosion," Clint explained. "Aside from that anything that might explain why this happened in the first place."

I looked back at what was left of the building to get a better view. To be honest it didn't look like much. What struck me as odd was that it stood in the middle of a forest. No homes could be seen for miles. Tall looking trees surrounded us, making the seen look like something from a fairy tale. The building itself looked like an abandoned warehouse. Maybe that was what SHIELD had tried aiming for before it was destroyed.

"Remember, the place could still be booby trapped," Natasha warned us as we headed for the building.

Creepy old warehouses were always fun to explore, especially when they were booby trapped with SHIELD certified weapons. Grimacing at the thought, I kept close as we reached what was left of the entrance. The door had pretty much been destroyed in the explosion. Remains of it could be made out in the debris.

"Right, we should split up from here," Steve suggested after observing how large the place was. To my surprise it was bigger than I expected. And here I was thinking it would be some small cramped place where scientists liked to hang out. I really need to stop watching sci-fi movies.

"We'll go together," Natasha replied before Clint could protest. I tried not to smirk as she dragged him away, pretty much by force I might add.

Something was obviously going on between the two. Though they would both likely deny it, I could tell that this was more than just a partnership. Steve looked at dad and Bruce as the two of them just shrugged.

"Guess we'll take the east side." Bruce looked like he was about to hesitate when he nodded reluctantly in agreement.

For a moment I wasn't sure what to say as they left us standing there. I nervously bit the bottom of my lip as Steve looked more embarrassed than anything else. Considering the fact that he was dressed in his Captain America suit didn't make things any better.

"So, how have you been?" I rolled my eyes as I headed forward, the only direction everyone else seemed to avoid. And of course Steve was following me. I suppose he was afraid of getting lost, or getting caught in one of the booby traps alone.

"Can't complain," I replied with a shrug. "I could use some alone time though," I added under my breath. Thankfully Steve didn't seem to hear.

Soon we reached a small room after wandering in awkward silence. I welcomed the silence though; truthfully I had no idea what to say to the guy. Steve was nice and all, certainly more of a gentlemen than most people I've known (dad for instance), but the moment we met I was put off by his attitude. I shook my head at the thought and tried focusing on what lay ahead.

The room looked like it had several monitors inside. To my surprise most of them were still intact, despite what had happened outside. Well that wasn't convenient at all. I looked back at Steve before walking inside, making sure that the area was secure before going any further.

"If that's not suspicious I don't know what is," I muttered with a roll of my eyes.

"Why would they leave the security room in tact?" Steve asked.

"My guess is someone wanted someone to see something," I replied with a shrug.

Carefully I started pulling at what was left of the wires, remembering what dad had said about repairing them. One important thing was to make sure they weren't live at the moment. One wrong move and you could end up with an electrical surge through your body. I shuddered at the thought, picturing a video that dad had shown me one night of what it looked like when that happened.

"Are you sure you know what you're doing?" Steve's question made me really with I could punch him. Obviously I would not be doing this if I didn't know. For his sake though I didn't answer, knowing that it would turn into an argument if I did.

In less than two minutes the monitors were on and functioning. "Which video feed shall we watch first?" I asked with a sly grin.

"Fury said the attack happened around three in the morning," Steve pointed out. "See if you can find anything from than."

With quick movement I was able to find the video feed from earlier this morning. To my surprise I was able to find something. But what I found wasn't exactly reassuring.

The video feed was blurry, but I could still make out a figure moving about in the lengthy hallway. A few passing agents had suddenly stopped and questioned them. What happened next caused us both to stare in disbelief.

I bit the bottom of my lip as the stranger dressed in what looked like a cloak grabbed the arm of one of the agents. They moved so fast that it was hard to keep up. One twist of the arm and the agent was screaming in pain. The other agent moved fast, but not fast enough as the stranger drew out a pistol and fired.

The stranger in the cloak started moving once more as an alarm sounded. It was around that time that the bombs went off.

"What the hell was that?" My question came out as a whisper, but Steve heard it loud and clear. The video feed had come to an abrupt end, leaving us both standing there dumbfounded.

"Rogers, Ada, you might wanna get out of that room." Dad's voice made me jump. "I'm picking up something on the scanner, and it doesn't look good."

Before I could ask what he meant by that, a blinding light suddenly erupted from what felt like nowhere. Steve was quick to grab his shield, but the light made it difficult for either of us to see what was going on.

A sudden blast of energy was sent towards us with such a force that it sent us flying backwards. Within seconds Steve already had his shield up to block the second blast while I got back to my feet.

"You mortals really are difficult to kill, aren't you?" My eyes lit up at the voice. It sounded like a young woman, with a British accent. By now the blinding light had begun to fade, revealing who was shooting at us.

"Guys, where the hell are you?" I asked warily. A ball of fire started appearing in the palm of my hand as the other one tapped on my earpiece.

"They cannot hear you," she replied. My eyes narrowed into slits as I got a good look at her. Silvery blond hair tied up in a braid. Flawless skin that was covered in a cloak. For someone who was trying to kill us she looked damn pretty. "My magic blocks any communication between you and your little friends," she explained as Steve and I exchanged looks.

"What are you doing here? Why did you blow up this base?" Steve demanded.

Those were actually pretty good questions. What reasons did she have behind these attacks? Judging by her appearance she was obviously not from around here. So what would have caused her to come down here and attack a small base on Earth?

"That I cannot tell you." Her voice indicated there was more to her reasoning than she let on. "Though I will say I am here for the girl," she suddenly added. My eyes narrowed in confusion before I threw a fireball in her direction. The woman's expression changed to a scowl as the fire disappeared in a flash. "Tsk, and here I was hoping you would not put up a fight. You hold something that my dear friend wishes to obtain."

"What is she talking about?" I rolled my eyes at Steve's question before throwing another fireball at the woman, this time making sure I didn't miss.

To my surprise and annoyance the fireball disappeared in seconds, just like the last time. She sent a blast of energy in our direction, catching Steve off guard while I barely dodged it.

"As I said before, I am here to take you with me," she sneered. "This was only the beginning of many, unless you turn yourself in."

I could feel my blood run cold in seconds as she let this news sink in. Glancing over my shoulder, I noticed that Steve was watching us both carefully, his shield still raised just in case. She hadn't knocked him out yet. But I had a feeling she would if she could.

Finally I looked back at her, realizing that she was telling the truth. The look she gave me told me everything I needed to know.

_I can't let myself get captured again_, I thought bitterly. _Not _this_ time_.

"Steve, get the others now, I'll keep her distracted," I suddenly snapped. The Captain looked at me in surprise before I shot him a cold look. "_Now_." The word came out as a hiss.

He looked like he was ready to argue when he thought better of it. Giving me and the woman standing in front of us another look, he stood up and shook his head.

"I'm not leaving you to face her alone," he retorted.

I glared daggers at him, but didn't bother arguing any further. That argument could go on for hours, and the woman was still watching us curiously. I'm surprised she hasn't tried attacking yet. Carefully I drew out the knife I had taken with me. If my powers weren't working than maybe something human-made would.

Please let this work. The words played over and over as I lunged forward, the first to move. The woman only smirked in response before suddenly disappearing in a flash of blinding light. All that kept me from dropping on my hands was Steve catching me by the elbow.

"Thanks," I muttered crossly after brushing dust off my suit.

Looking around I noticed with a groan of frustration that the woman had disappeared on us.

"What now?" For a moment I wasn't even sure what to make of what had happened.

One moment she was standing there, and the next she vanished. Just like in that video feed. My brain was working overtime to figure out what just happened. I remember Loki doing the same thing when he was captured on the Hellicarrier. Trying hard to remember, I pictured an image of Loki disappearing as Thor lunged at him. Only Loki's image had disappeared in a flash just like the woman's.

The more I thought about it, the more I realized that this woman was using something very similar to Loki's magic. I was ready to say something about it when I heard a quiet thud coming from behind. That was when it all went to hell.

She was fast. Faster than I'd anticipated.

With lethal movement she had already thrown several energy blasts. By now the room around us was pretty much destroyed; any evidence the Avengers had was gone. That meant I had to get out of this alive, and keep her from killing Steve in the process.

How she managed to knock him out was beyond me. He was Captain Freakin' America for God's sake! He should've at least seen her coming from behind or something. I shook my head at the thought, realizing that I was probably over thinking things once again.

"You have lasted longer than I thought you would," she sneered.

I had SHIELD to thank for that. I knew though I wouldn't last much longer if she kept this up. My legs were already starting to feel numb from dodging all of her energy blasts. Meanwhile she didn't even look fazed with how much energy she was wasting.

Of all the times for Steve to get knocked out; I really wished he'd regain consciousness already. Right now I could use some backup as she started throwing energy blast after energy blast. Exactly how long has this fight been going on?

Where were the others when I needed them most? Shaking my head at the thought, I realized that she was probably keeping them distracted somehow. Maybe right now they were fighting their own battles at the same time.

"Let's finish this shall we?" The woman's question caught me off guard. I'd been focusing on my thoughts when she suddenly disappeared once again.

Before I could make sense of what was happening a jolting pain shot through my back. I forced back a scream when I realized what had happened. The woman's laughter rang in my ears as my body went numb. And of course her laughter was the last thing I heard before blacking out.

* * *

**AN: Added a few parts to this chapter, making it my longest yet. Not sure if anyone will bother reviewing, but it doesn't matter at this point. I'm just writing for the fun of it /=  
**


	12. Welcome To Asgard

**Chapter Twelve**

* * *

_"They've got, All the right moves and all the right faces So yeah, we're going down, Let's paint the picture of the perfect place They've got it better than when anyone's told ya, They'll be the King of Hearts, and you're the Queen of Spades Then we'll fight for you like we were your soldiers..." All The Right Moves, OneRepublic_

* * *

That moment when you wake up in a completely different place? I think I was getting tired of it. Aside from the throbbing headache I now felt, everything seemed fine enough. I found myself waking up in a room where the walls looked like they were made out of some kind of clay material. It was the kind of material you would find in homes that were built for the desert.

As I tried remembering what had happened, the door to my room suddenly swung open.

To my surprise this was nothing like the cell I was kept in during my last captivity. I remembered hearing dad describe the place he was held in all those years ago. That place had been a dungeon compared to what this room looked like.

It was strangely spacious, despite the situation I was in. What surprised me more than anything was that I wasn't even strapped to a chair. When most people were held captive their captives at least had the decency to make sure they were immobilized.

"Looks like the little child is awake, finally." That voice.

Without warning my hands shot up, ready for round two. The woman moved so fast I barely had a chance to react. With one flick of her wrist a pair of what looked like energy cuffs wrapped around my wrists. Anger churned within me as she scowled at me.

"What do you want with me?" I demanded, trying to keep my own voice from shaking.

The last thing I needed was to give her the satisfaction that I was actually nervous.

"As I said before, a dear friend of mine has been seeking you for some time," she explained as she looked at me thoughtfully for the first time. "You hold something that he is after."

For a moment I was tempted to ask what she meant by that. Then I thought better of it. I would find out when I met this 'dear' friend of hers soon enough. Truthfully I was curious. Who was her mysterious 'friend', and why was I suddenly so important?

"You could at least tell me your name," I muttered as she twined a rope around my cuffs and dragged me out.

"I always forget how pesky you mortals are," she retorted. "My name is Rosana."

I raised an eyebrow as she led me outside the cell. A few seconds had passed before my eyes focused on the harsh sunlight that nearly blinded me. The air outside was warm, yet not too warm and not humid like it would be in tropical areas.

My eyes widened in disbelief when I saw where we were at.

Tall buildings surrounded us. But what surprised me the most was that these buildings looked old, yet had a new kind of vibe to them. Confusion swept over me as I tried to catch my bearings. Where the hell were we?

"Where are we?" I finally asked out loud. Even I was getting tired of asking all these questions.

Considering the fact that I was her prisoner, I couldn't believe I wasn't putting up a bigger fight. I supposed in the confusion and chaos that followed, I wasn't sure what to make of the mess I got myself into.

"Foolish mortal." My ears felt like they were bleeding when she cackled. "You are on Asgard."

Asgard? I felt my eyes grow even wider if that was possible.

Thor and his friends had mentioned Asgard a few times. I never expected myself to actually _be_ here. The more I looked the more I realized she was right.

This place looked more like a city than an ancient town. Up ahead I could see what looked like an elegant palace that shadowed the city. We passed through what looked like an open market, with the people shouting at one another and making deals.

Even the people here looked different, but not in a bad way. They were dressed in what looked like something people in Ancient Greece would wear. The clothing was old fashioned. Yet it made them look new and different. Like something no one else had worn before.

What bothered me the most was how... beautiful everyone here looked. It seemed like no matter how old or young they were they looked strangely beautiful. Compared to them I just felt like I needed to get in the shower again. And I probably did need to.

Finally I stopped myself in my tracks, digging my feet into the dirt. The rope bound to my cuffs suddenly pulled, and Rosana let out a huff of annoyance when she realized what I was doing.

"I'm not letting you do this," I snapped, letting anger show in my voice.

With so many witnesses around Rosana wouldn't be able to fight here. And I was using that to my advantage. Before she could say anything I swung my left leg under hers. I was surprised I managed to catch her off guard, considering how well she fought earlier.

I wasn't even sure how long I'd been out. But at this point it didn't matter. I was determined to get out of this alive.

Rosana scowled as she jumped back to her feet, just barely avoiding getting kicked again. I may not be so skilled in kickboxing, but I knew enough to put up a fight. My skill set was more in fist work and long-range attacks than anything else.

She was about to fire an energy blast when people walking by stopped to watch the scene unfold. I tried not to let satisfaction show as her attack stopped. All I wanted was to get out of this before things went from bad to worse. And thankfully my tactics seemed to work.

"What is going on here?" My shoulders sagged in relief when I saw a familiar face in the crowd.

Her eyes widened in disbelief when she seemed to recognize me. And Rosana looked all the more angry, and terrified at the same time. I wasn't exactly sure how to describe that expression. But it was humorous to watch nonetheless.

"Nothing." Her voice came out as a hiss as Lady Sif pushed her way through the gathering crowd. "This mortal was trespassing, and I was simply taking matters into my own hands," she quickly corrected herself.

"That decision is not yours to make," Sif retorted. Her eyes traveled to me before she looked back at Rosana. "You are nothing more than a maid at the palace. That is where you belong."

I couldn't help but wince at the anger glowing in Rosana's eyes. Those words must have really stung. Judging from the expression Rosana now wore, this was not going to be forgotten so easily. She fled from the area with a less than gracious glare sent in my direction.

"What are you doing here, Lady Stark?" I tried not to blush when Sif called me by a formal name.

"I..." I looked down at my boots, not entirely sure how to explain myself properly.

Sif and the Warriors' Three probably wouldn't even care all that much about what went on in Midgard. So all I could do was look back at Sif, feeling dumber than ever.

"You are lost," she suddenly realized out loud. As much as I hated to admit it, I really was lost. She had no idea just how right she was. "The Queen will know what to do," she explained after the news had officially sunk in.

"Look, I'm really sorry for what happened," I finally stammered. "I know it's not in my place to just trespass like this." I added the last part with a shrug, not really sure what to do.

Considering the fact that I had been dragged here against my will, I'm surprised I wasn't freaking out more.

"There is no need to apologize." I looked at Lady Sif in surprise when she said that.

Truthfully I'm more surprised she isn't pissed off with me for trespassing. Maybe seeing Rosana made her realize that there was more to my sudden appearance than meets the eye.

I looked on in confusion as she led the way through the now departing crowd. Seeing as the fight was over they had no reason to stick around. I was thankful not to be the center of attention once more as I followed Lady Sif to a horse tied up to a post.

"Erm..." I looked at the horse in embarrassment after glancing down at the energy cuffs still attached to my wrists. "They're gonna make it a little hard to ride a horse," I explained when Sif looked at me oddly. "Look, I can walk to the palace if that's what you need," I suddenly murmured. I could see that she was already losing her patience.

"These cuffs were created through powerful magic," she explained after giving them a good look. "Only one with magic as strong can undo them."

Great, and the only way to find that someone was to get there on horseback. I've never actually ridden a horse before. Last time someone offered me a ride I turned them down. In truth I was a bit afraid of them. Big animals that could easily trample me if given the chance. And if they were wearing horseshoes it felt even worse. The cuffs made a good excuse, but I guess I wasn't getting out of this one so easily.

Shaking my head at the thought, I supposed at this point I really had no choice but to climb on once Lady Sif was in the saddle. Hopefully this ride wouldn't last too long. Otherwise it would probably make one hell of a video on Youtube.

. . .

"What the hell happened?" Tony's voice was full of confusion as the team regrouped outside what was left of the base.

After spending nearly three hours searching the base, they found next to nothing. Bruce had already run a diagnostic on anyone who might still be around. Much to his surprise and disbelief he had found nothing. It was like everything had been cleaned out. The worst part was finding Steve only just waking up from whatever had attacked him, and taken Ada.

"She was like nothing I'd ever seen," he admitted after rubbing the back of his head.

"Is she the bitch that took Ada?" Tony's face was twisted in a scowl, his mask having been taken off when they regrouped.

"Most likely she is," Clint replied with a nod.

"The video feed we found was destroyed in that fight. As far as I can tell we'll have to work through memory here."

This was just wonderful. Not only was one of their teammates missing, but now they had this kind of a threat to deal with. When did things start getting more complicated?

"We'll find her," Natasha said in a reassuring tone.

"I sure hope to God you're right," Tony muttered crossly. "Whoever did this will have hell to pay."


	13. We'll Be Ready

**Chapter Thirteen**

* * *

_"Dear God, I was terribly lost When the galaxies crossed, And the sun went dark. But dear God, You're the only North Star, I would follow this far..." Galaxies, Owl City_

* * *

To say I wasn't terrified would be a complete and utter lie.

I could barely hang on as the horse we were riding broke into a canter. Now I may not be much of a horse lover, but I did know all of their gaits. From the walk, trot, gallop to the infamous canter. The canter was their fastest gait. All I could do was hold on for dear life with what little hand movement I had. Meanwhile the amused look Lady Sif had given me told me she knew this would happen.

After what felt like hours of torture riding the beast it slowed down. By now we had reached the base of the palace. My eyes widened when I saw what looked like endless gardens stretching before me. Elegant looking pillars held up the front entrance, which was guarded by a large wooden door.

Waterfalls and fountains were placed here and there. Benches were placed nearby for those who enjoyed the sounds of nature. Beyond the garden I could see what looked like a sparring field. Already I spotted a couple of warriors sparring with swords and heavy looking armor, similar to the armor Lady Sif and the Warriors Three wore.

"This is amazing," I finally stated.

Thankfully Sif helped me off, giving me a little dignity as I nearly fell off. The horse nickered in amusement as I bumped into it, or to be more accurate _her_. I grimaced and brushed off the dust from my legs before straightening myself.

"If you are lucky you will see the inside," Sif replied with the slightest of smirks.

I never expected to see this side of Lady Sif. True I barely knew her. But she always struck me as the hard-working woman who always had to prove herself. Kind of like Natasha in a way. Yet here she was showing a sense of humor. It was actually a nice change in pace.

"So, where exactly would you live? And the Warriors Three?" I couldn't resist asking the questions as we started walking through the gardens.

This place really was like paradise. There was no humidity, the temperature was just right. And there was even a pleasant breeze blowing past us. I wondered if this was what Heaven felt like for a moment.

"We live near the palace, in those homes." She pointed towards a row of homes nearby, that looked bigger than the rest. I raised an eyebrow in surprise, wondering if they had a choice whether or not they _could_ live in the palace. The thought had never really occurred to me until now.

I shook my head at the thought, already feeling a slight headache from everything that's already happened.

For a while we walked on in silence, and I was thankful for that. It gave me time to wonder what the others were up to. And if they were safe. I bit the bottom of my lip at the thought, realizing that I had abandoned them at the worse possible time.

_Dad's going to kill me if he finds out I'm here_, I thought. To make matters worse he was probably worried sick. I hated making him worry.

"Something troubles you?" Her question made me look at her in surprise.

I only shook my head once again before replying, "I'm fine. Just a bit tired." I added the last part with a shrug.

It wasn't necessarily a lie. Lying wasn't one of my strong suits; Natasha was still teaching me some of the best tactics she knew. Luckily Sif didn't question me further. She probably could tell I wasn't telling the truth. It was more likely that she could care less, and I was perfectly fine with that.

After a few more minutes of walking we finally reached the entrance of the palace. Stairs leading up to the front door would signal our arrival, though the guards posted at the front entrance made it even more obvious.

"Lady Sif, why do you bring a mortal to the palace?" One of the guards was bold enough to stop us before we reached the door. The glare Lady Sif gave them was priceless. I had to laugh when the one standing on the right flinched.

"I believe the proper question would be 'Why is a mortal here in the first place?'" she snapped.

The guards shuffled in embarrassment as they parted and let us through, the doors slowly opening. I couldn't resist acting like a child and sticking my tongue out at them. The looks they gave me were even more priceless, and I wished I had a camera.

To my surprise Queen Frigga was already waiting for us at the entrance, wearing a light blue dress that looked fancier than anything I'd ever wear.

In all honesty I never imagined I'd be here, meeting the Queen of Asgard. I hoped this didn't mean I'd get to meet big bad Odin. From the stories I've heard he's as much of an asshole as Loki could be, if not worse.

"Welcome back, Lady Sif," the Queen greeted us with a warm smile, her gaze not even meeting mine as she looked at Sif. "I trust your patrol went well?"

"The streets are now at peace, no thanks to your hand maiden," replied Sif. I looked at her warily. God I hoped this didn't bite me in the back in the future. "Her target was this mortal that I was... _forced_ to bring here."

She said the word forced as if trying not to offend me. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes, knowing damn well it wasn't in my place to speak unless spoken to, or all that crap. Besides, if Sif was anything like Thor she still had some Midgardian manners to learn.

"Heimdall warned me of the strange energy levels he picked up," Frigga explained. Now she was looking directly at me. I felt myself tensing up on instinct. Truthfully I was afraid she'd judge me just by appearance, but I knew that was stereotypical. "You are no ordinary mortal, are you?"

Her question caught me by surprise. All I could do was nod in response. I'm still not sure what to say. What could I say without embarrassing myself?

"She fought like a warrior before I intervened," Sif suddenly put in.

Wait, how long had she been watching that fight? She could have stopped us at any time? I didn't bother saying anything though. My thoughts were my own, much as I'd love to scream at her for letting Rosana get as far as she did.

"I um, was kind of hoping you could get me out of these," I admitted, trying not to stammer. It was hard when you knew everyone was waiting for you to make a mistake.

Frigga looked at me in amusement as she observed the energy cuffs. Every now and than they would disappear as I started relaxing, but I could still feel them bound to my wrists. It was only when I started struggling that they glowed and started tightening again.

"This is powerful magic," she commented. "Whoever cast the spell knew you would fight back." Again I resisted the urge to say 'no duh' out loud.

Tempting as it was I really didn't want to be thrown in Asgardian prison. From what I heard it wasn't fun. And I haven't exactly heard much.

With one small wave of her hand, Frigga had the energy cuffs off in an instant. I stared at my wrists in disbelief as the pain from earlier faded. The cuffs had left little nicks on my wrist, but other than that they seemed perfectly fine.

"Thank you," I sighed. One problem down, another was about to start. "Is there by any chance a way to get back home?"

I really hated making dad worried. I know this has been mentioned several times before. But I learned that dad tends to do crazy things when he gets too worried. Such as risking his own life to make sure I was fine, or Pepper in the case of the Mandarin. And people said I risked _my_ life too many times.

"I am afraid, that at this moment travel between realms is impossible," Frigga replied after giving her response some thought. "My husband has ordered the gates be closed after Thor paid Midgard a visit. This was before you and Lady Sif arrived."

Well that's just great. How the hell am I supposed to get back than?

I'm sure the AllFather wasn't going to change his mind anytime soon. And when did Thor suddenly decide to visit Midgard? Was it because of my disappearance? Or had Heimdall sensed something else was wrong?

I longed to ask Queen Frigga these questions. But something told me it wasn't in my place to ask them. Plus I really didn't want to have to confront Odin himself. He really was just like Fury, eye patch and all.

"For the time being you are more than welcomed to stay here," Frigga suddenly added. "Thor speaks highly of you, and I believe they are called the Avengers." Again I nodded, trying not to smirk at the confusion in her tone.

Midgard probably had even stranger words or terms that she had never heard of.

. . .

Everyone was more than surprised to see Thor standing next to Director Fury upon their arrival at the Helicarrier. The Asgardian didn't look to pleased either as he started speaking.

"My friends, I am here to assist you in any means necessary," he announced before Fury could explain.

"You could start by finding my daughter," Tony snapped. He was still pissed, and understandably so. Thor only looked at him in confusion before his eyes lit up with understanding.

"Heimdall sensed that not all was well," Thor explained. "What has happened?"

Steve took the spotlight in order to explain what he had seen. From the SHIELD base getting attacked to seeing that woman, than to Ada's sudden disappearance. The fact that they had both disappeared led the team to believing that the woman had taken her.

Thor's expression changed to a mix of shock and anger. Clearly he knew what or who Steve had described.

"I do not know her well," he warned them. "But I do know her name. She goes by the name of Rosana, and is a hand maiden in the palace."

"Well, it sounds like she bit off more than she could chew," Clint muttered.

The look of confusion Thor gave them was priceless.

"He means that Ada wouldn't have let Rosana take her without a fight," Natasha explained with a roll of her eyes.

"Which leads me to wondering how in the name of God this whole mess started in the first place?" Fury finally spoke up.

Silence greeted his question this time. No one knew the answer to it. Only time would explain to them why Rosana had launched these attacks. Though if Fury knew anything, things wouldn't stay this quiet for long.

"We should keep searching for clues," Bruce murmured thoughtfully. "The base did manage to give us _some_ information as to what is going on."

After having to stay calm for most of the trip, he was tired of all this running around. But if there was anything he could do to help, he would.

"For now we're keeping an eye out for anything unusual," Fury told them. "Energy levels could spike up at any moment if Asgard is involved. We'll be ready."

* * *

**AN: So I apologize in advance if characters might seem a bit... OC at times. It was bound to happen sooner or later D: But I did say I was branching away from the movie-verse eventually so... yeah. Anywho, thanks to acompletenerd and Spinosa for reviewing! I really do appreciate them :)**


	14. Communication Is Key

**Chapter Fourteen**

* * *

_"Look at earth from outer space Everyone must find a place, Give me time and give me space Give me real, don't give me fake, Give me strength, reserve control Give me heart and give me soul, Give me time, give us a kiss Tell me your own politik..." Politik, Coldplay_

* * *

Should I be worried that the Queen of Asgard had offered me a place to stay?

Probably. But I certainly wasn't going to argue. Frigga seemed genuinely concerned about the situation I was in, and had even asked for Rosana's presence when I was taken to my temporary quarters. I kind of doubted that Rosana would even bother showing up.

Given the fact that she had attacked Midgard and destroyed one of SHIELD's bases, she wasn't exactly a favorite now. Still, I did wonder who had sent her. My guess was, as much as I dreaded the idea, Loki. Considering she knew magic to some extent and had mentioned 'dear friend', I could imagine that Loki would have somehow bribed her into capturing me.

But if that was the case than how? I thought Loki was in prison somewhere here?

I shook my head at the thought and sat on a bed that was almost_ too_ soft for my liking. The fact that Odin hadn't argued with Frigga's decision had surprised me more than anything else. I'm sure that he wouldn't be too pleased if he found out a lowly mortal was staying in his palace.

That was why I chose to stay here, for the time being. Hopefully Heimdall would be given the chance to open the gates again and I could go back to Midgard. In the meantime I tried to find something that would keep me occupied. I never thought that being stuck on Asgard would be so _boring_.

As I sat there with my legs crossed I had almost forgotten about the things I had taken with me. Luckily I kept my daggers strapped to my waste – they really did come in handy during a fight. I had grabbed my iPod at the last minute as well, which meant if things got too boring I could always listen to music. Then there was that stone I had taken just before I had left. I had put the stone in a pocket before grabbing everything else.

With a sigh of frustration I decided to pull it out and examine it. Truthfully I had never really given it a good look. I was afraid of what Fury or the others would say when they saw it. They might think it was just some kind of obsession I had. And maybe my mind was right.

Again I shook my head in wonder as I studied the little stone. It was small enough to fit in the palm of my hand. And to my surprise there was still warmth radiating from it, like the stone had just been used, or activated. I remembered how warm it felt when it was still lit up in my room.

_Is it supposed to do this_? I wondered.

'_That is no ordinary stone_.' I think I nearly had a heart attack when I heard a familiar voice.

'_Do you know what it is_?' I asked hopefully.

There were times when Nadia's wisdom really did come in handy. Maybe she knew more about this stone than SHIELD or anyone else would. Or I was walking into another dead end. There was only one way to find out at this point.

'_I have never seen such an object_,' she admitted.

Well that was just great. How was I supposed to figure this out than?

'_Thanks for trying_,' I murmured. '_Hey, is there any way I can contact dad, or anyone else on Midgard_?'

The question may have sounded farfetched, but it was worth a try. For a moment I could actually sense Nadia's confusion before she answered.

'_You mean Terran_,' she said in a matter-of-fact tone.

Okay, that word definitely sounded strange to me. From Midgard to Terran, it was hard to choose which one was the correct version of Earth. But I assumed that Terran was in fact the Aliquid's version of Earth.

'_Yeah, I guess so_,' I replied with a shrug.

_'It requires a great amount of energy, but it is possible_,' she explained. '_You must focus on your family_.'

Focus on my family…. That sounded easy enough. Although I'm not entirely sure how that was going to help. I wasn't even sure how the whole 'amount' of energy thing would work either. My guess was it would leave me feeling weak, or exhausted.

I took a deep breath and thought of dad. Then again maybe focusing on him wasn't the best idea. I needed to try and contact someone who would know when they weren't imagining things. My thoughts turned back to someone I knew I could trust.

A few seconds passed before an image came into focus.

'_Bruce, it's Ada_…. _I would've contacted dad but I figured you would more likely listen to my thoughts than he would_.' I paused to think of what I would say next, knowing that of all the people I could contact it had to be Bruce. He would've probably tried rationalizing that he was just tired, or that it was just a dream. But hopefully it wouldn't come to that. '_Please let dad and Fury know that I'm on Asgard, and that I'm alright. I'm trying to figure out a way back home, but the gates are_… _kind of closed. You can thank Odin for that one_.'

Already exhaustion was quickly settling over me. I didn't realize how right Nadia had been when she said it would take a lot of energy. Glancing at the door warily I stuffed the stone back in my pocket and landed on the bed. Maybe sleep wasn't such a bad idea after all.

. . .

"Wait, run me over with this again." Bruce rolled his eyes as Tony said those words for a third time.

The team had gathered in a small meeting room after a strange dream he'd just had. After going over the dream multiple times and running over the possibilities, he couldn't just forget it very easily. Most dreams were forgettable. That was what had left Bruce feeling so concerned.

"You had a dream, and you could hear my daughter's voice… and yet you couldn't see her. Exactly how is this helpful?" Tony's question did leave the others wondering the same thing.

Thor was quiet through it all, having realized that Heimdall was asked to keep the gates closed during his departure. Was it his fault that Ada could not return home? He was certainly hoping that it wasn't. The last thing he wanted to deal with was an angry Tony Stark.

"That about sums it up," Bruce replied with a shrug.

Why he of all people had the dream was beyond him. Wouldn't someone like Tony have the dream instead? He knew how much Stark cared about Ada. In a way it was refreshing to see from all the news stories that were always shown on TV.

"I do not understand why my father would close the gates," Thor murmured thoughtfully as Tony glared at him once more.

"Is there any way to get to Asgard, or back to Midgard, or whatever Earth is called?" Steve asked.

"There are portals," Thor explained. His expression was wary, as if such information would not be useful to mere mortals. "But they are not easy to find. Even one with expert eyes would have trouble searching for them." He nodded pointedly to Clint, who only rolled his eyes in response.

"I bet I could find them," he muttered crossly.

An uneasy silence filled the room was the team thought of what to do next. So far things had been pretty quiet since the base was destroyed and Ada kidnapped.

"Look, Ada is safe, for the time being," Natasha finally pointed out. "As long as she is we should continue with our lives as though nothing has happened. Otherwise people will get suspicious." She added the last part when Tony shot her a glare.

For the first time he realized how thankful he was to have adopted Ada when he did. Otherwise SHIELD might have taken her instead, and turned her into a minnie Black Widow. Ada already acted more like a SHIELD agent than anything else.

"Alright, we'll see how your plan works out." Tony wasn't fond of the idea. But as far as he knew Ada was safe, and that was what mattered for the moment.

. . .

Three knocks sounded on the door, waking me up. My mind was still reeling with thoughts of what had happened earlier. I'm not entirely sure how time works here on Asgard, but I'm pretty sure a day had passed. Which meant I was probably stuck here for two days now.

I sure hoped that Bruce got my message. Dad didn't need to worry about me more than he already did.

As I got up I thought of what Nadia had told me the other day. She mentioned something about a place called Terran. I could only assume that she meant Earth at the time. But I was still confused as to why she had called Earth Terran instead.

The Aliquid came from a distant planet. And their planet was destroyed by Galactus, according to Fury and Coulson. I closed my eyes at the thought, suddenly wishing that I knew what it looked like before that had happened.

"The queen wishes to speak with you." I stared at the maid in surprise as soon as I opened the door. She was dressed in clothing similar to Rosana's, but her appearance wasn't nearly as breathtaking.

"Thank you," I replied with the slightest of bows.

The maid stared at me in surprise this time before returning to her duties. My guess is people around here rarely bowed to maids unless they did something heroic. Or maybe that was just me over thinking things yet again.

Sure enough it was moments later when Queen Frigga showed up. It's a good thing I didn't have to wander very far. I'm sure I would get lost in a matter of seconds. This palace was way too big for my liking. I still got lost on the Helicarrier every now and than, even though I've been on it for a couple of years now.

"I trust you slept well?" Frigga's question caught me off guard, but I only nodded.

"Thank you, for offering me a place to stay," I replied with a grateful bow. From what I gathered bowing was a sign of respect here. And I really was grateful that Frigga had offered me of all people a place to stay.

"Any friend of Thor's is welcomed here," she told me.

Wait, Thor told her about me? I wonder exactly how much he told her. Obviously she knew that I wasn't exactly human. Or from what Thor had told her maybe being an Avenger put me on some kind of status here.

"We have not located Rosana since your arrival, but our search continues," she continued when we walked through a hallway. "She knew very little magic, so it came to us as a surprise when we discovered her plans."

I'm guessing that Rosana had learned her magic through other means. I had a sinking feeling that Loki had something to do with it. Even if he was locked up it was possible for him to teach her, right?

"I um…. I know this is kind of a weird question to ask, especially someone like you…." I nearly facepalmed when I said that. The expression on her face told me that she found my statement amusing though, so I guess this wasn't totally embarrassing. "Do you know anything about a place called Terran?"

I figured that asking her about Terran was a good start. There were nine realms branching off of Midgard, but I knew for a fact that the world was much bigger than that. Science suggested that there were galaxies way beyond our reach.

"That term is used rarely here," she replied in a thoughtful tone. "But I have heard of it through others. Terran is another term used for describing Midgard."

So my original thoughts were correct. Nadia had used Terran to describe Earth. And I'm assuming that the Aliquid had called Earth Terran before calling it home.

"I've only heard it being used once," I said as I mused over what other people would use that term.

"Many people beyond the nine realms use it," she told me.

I couldn't help but smile, knowing that it was true. I wondered how she would react if I told her about my people. Probably not that well. So for now I would keep it my little secret. At least until I knew for sure that Asgard was ready to hear about it.

"So how exactly has the AllFather taken to my staying here?" I suddenly piped up, and almost instantly regretted asking.

Frigga stopped immediately in her tracks as if I had said the magic words. And with my luck I probably just gave myself a one-way ticket to Asgardian prison. I've been to Earth's prisons, and let me tell ya, they aren't the prettiest places on Earth. I could only imagine what a prison on Asgard would look like compared to them.

"He was not pleased," she admitted. "It took some convincing."

"I'm sorry," I apologized while biting the bottom of my lip. "Really I can find a place to stay if it's too much trouble."

The last thing I wanted was to cause a fight between Thor's mother and father.

"It isn't anything I cannot handle," she replied with a simple wave of her hand. I looked at her cautiously as she turned to face me. "Now there is a matter of your attire."


	15. The Gatekeeper

**Chapter Fifteen**

* * *

_"But don't you want to, Run wild, live free Love strong, you and me You're a lion full of power who forgot how to roar, You're an eagle full of beauty but you can't seem to soar..." Run Wild, For King and Country_

* * *

I forced back a groan as a group of maids were finishing the dress they had made for me.

During parties and such occasions I didn't _mind_ wearing dresses, so long as they weren't too elegant. But even I had to admit that this was a bit much. The colors were stunning; my favorites combined into one dress. And to my surprise the fabric was made of silk.

Dad had always offered to buy me silk dresses, but I would turn him down. They were usually more expensive than regular fabric. Truth be told I hated being babied. And getting expensive things. So I guess that was why I had been so upset about Frigga offering me new attire.

"You're dress is finished," one of the maids announced with a bow. I tried not to blush as she and the others began cleaning up the mess they had created.

"Thank you," I replied with a sheepish grin.

One of the maids looked at me in surprise before returning to her work. I simply shrugged it off and looked at the mirror in front of me. If it wasn't for Pepper I probably wouldn't have any manners. Dad wasn't exactly the best teacher, unless it came to science or math. Then he was all up for it.

The dress did look beautiful. From dark purple mixed with blue and the slightest green on the sleeves. All of my favorite colors mixed into one. At first I thought it would look horrible, given the fact that I did try mixing those colors together when I was just a kid. I couldn't help but smile at the memory. Dad had only just gotten back from work when he discovered the mess I made. And of course it was Happy's job to make sure that the place stay in one piece. He didn't realize that giving paint to a six year old wasn't the best idea, especially when said six year old was bored out of her mind.

"Why would you keep a mortal here in the palace?" I froze when a loud yet oddly familiar voice reached the room. All at once the maids quickly hurried to finish their work before excusing themselves.

"If Rosana is truly after her than she will not be safe elsewhere," Frigga replied.

"If Rosana is the reason she is here than the guards will take care of it." I resisted the urge to roll my eyes as the two figures standing outside stepped into the room.

"And until that time arrives she will not be safe," Frigga repeated herself, sounding exasperated.

I stiffened when Frigga eyed me warily. Standing beside her was a powerful looking man I had only read about in stories. Thor had described his father a few times on the Helicarrier. And from what I gathered Odin was just as bad as Fury at certain times.

"This is the mortal you spoke of?" Odin eyed me suspiciously when we stood there in awkward silence. I was afraid I might offend him in any way possible. So I kept my mouth shut.

"I, forgive me for intruding," I replied with a bow, remembering the way Lady Sif had acted earlier in front of Frigga. Hopefully by showing some respect he wouldn't throw me into Asgardian prison.

"No mortal has ever stepped foot in this palace," Odin explained before I could say anything else.

"I know, and I apologize for that." I held back a sigh of frustration as I finally explained my situation. I'm sure Frigga had already told him the reason behind me being stuck here. But of course he would rather here it from me to ensure that she was telling the truth.

Suddenly the sound of footsteps alerted us all. Interrupting the AllFather was probably one of the biggest crimes I could think of, if that was the case. Then again I could be exaggerating. I wasn't exactly into Asgardian customs and laws. And Thor had never mentioned anything about them in the year that I'd gotten to know him.

"AllFather, forgive me for interrupting…." I froze at the sound of that voice. It sounded deep, and like it belonged to someone with years of wisdom.

"You may continue, Heimdall," Odin replied with a simple wave of his hand.

Heimdall…. Suddenly I thought back to what Thor had told me about him. Heimdall was the Gatekeeper. According to legend he had an all-seeing eye; his vision gave him the wisdom that so many people dreamed of but never had.

"Prince Thor wishes to return to Asgard," Heimdall explained. "The threat that I detected seems to have vanished."

For once I let out a sigh of relief. So nothing bad was happening back home. I desperately wanted to get back and make sure that everyone was safe. Though I had a feeling that at this point Odin wasn't going to let that happen.

"You may open the Bifrost, but only temporarily," Odin told him. "This mortal is not allowed to leave, not until I find out what has really happened."

The Gatekeeper looked at me in surprise before bowing to Odin. I forced back the urge to groan in frustration as Odin left the room, with Frigga giving me an apologetic look before following him. Once again I was left alone to find something to do. And I'm sure that Odin wouldn't want me exploring the palace on my own. So that left me with one thing I could think of.

Maybe it was time to explore the city. Or better yet I could follow Heimdall and see Thor again. I bet Thor could convince his father to open the Bifrost again, just to get me home.

Shaking my head at the thought, I decided following Heimdall might be my best option. Plus I could ask him how dad was doing, seeing as he was all-seeing. I really did want to make sure that everyone was okay. Especially now that things were doing just fine according to Thor.

This place really was amazing as far as I could tell. From the palace to the outside world, and than walking towards the Bifrost. Basically the Bifrost was a rainbow bridge, or it looked that way to my eyes. Thor had called it the Bifrost, and so did Lady Sif the first time I saw it during our trip to the palace. I shuddered at the memory of holding on for dear life while riding that horse.

I tried pushing the memories aside as I started making my way down the Bifrost. To be honest it was kind of nerve-racking. Like walking over an old roped bridge, only there weren't any rails to hold on, and the floor my feet touched was see-through, sort of. It was hard to describe without having to look down at it for a long time. And I was in no hurry to spend any more time here than I needed to.

Thankfully it didn't take me long to reach the dome-shaped building at the end of the bridge. I'm surprised that no one had stopped me along the way. In fact there wasn't anyone guarding the area. I would have thought with the recent threats that Odin would add more security to the city. Then again he was probably rarely challenged, except for the time Loki had tried taking over.

Suddenly I stopped in my tracks, aware that one wrong move could keep me trapped here forever.

What if he was like Odin? Or worse, like Loki? I doubted anyone was like Loki, but the thought did terrify me. The last thing I wanted was to be known as public enemy number one on Asgard. So maybe just sitting down and waiting wasn't such a bad idea now.

"You may enter." I couldn't help but jump at the amused tone in Heimdall's voice. Instead of saying anything I started running a hand through my hair as I sheepishly walked inside the building. "Behold, the Gateway between the Nine Realms."

I looked on in amazement, taking in the sight before me. The building inside was impressive looking. It reminded me of an observatory that you would see at science centers. In the center of the room was what looked like a device with a sword wedged inside.

"This is beautiful," I murmured thoughtfully. It was difficult trying to take everything in at once. Especially when a light nearly blinded my eyes seconds later. It took a while for my eyes to adjust until I saw who was standing in the room.

"Lady Stark?" Thor's question made me flinch.

"Welcome back, my Prince." Heimdall seemed unfazed Thor's reaction to my standing here. I wondered if Bruce had gotten my message after all. If Thor didn't know I was here than it was possible that the message had been ignored.

"Heimdall, why have you not returned Lady Stark back to Midgard?" Again Thor asked another question, ignoring the fact that I was standing there.

"The AllFather has commanded that I keep the Bifrost closed, until Rosana is captured," Heimdall explained. "She is using magic to conceal herself."

I couldn't help but scowl in annoyance when he mentioned the word 'magic'. Considering all the crap I was put through to get here, I could believe that it was real. Science usually answered just about every question. But there were some things that science couldn't explain.

"Look, is there possibly any way for Odin to speed up the search?" I asked warily.

"I am afraid that I cannot answer that," Heimdall replied. "It is difficult to change the AllFather's mind once it is decided."

I bit the bottom of my lip when he said that, realizing that Heimdall was probably right. Odin was probably about as stubborn as Fury. And the two shared similar personalities. Maybe not to the point where I could start comparing them, but close enough.

"You will have to forgive my father," Thor apologized as we stepped outside. An awkward silence had followed as Thor tried to recollect what was going on. "Doctor Banner informed us that he received a vision that you were safe. He did not tell me that you were here."

Well, I suppose I should just be glad he got a vision at all. Maybe I should start practicing that ability so that it could be stronger. Then I remembered what Nadia had said about the power taking a lot of energy. So maybe practicing wasn't the best idea just yet.

"It's not your fault," I replied with a shake of my head. Truthfully it was my fault for letting Rosana catch me off guard. I should have known that she would fight dirty when given the chance.

"Either way, I shall make sure that you are given as much comfort as possible." Again I flinched when Thor said that. It was bad enough Frigga had offered me a place to stay in the palace.

"Look, I'm alright just having a place to stay." I forced a smile, trying to make it seem as though everything was fine. Really, I didn't want to make them worry any more than they already were. If keeping me stuck here was Odin's way of punishing me, than I suppose I had no choice but to stay. Hopefully Thor could convince him to let me go. Otherwise I had no idea what would happen next.


	16. Knowledge Is Power

**Chapter Sixteen**

* * *

_"It ain't where you're from it's where you're at, It ain't who you know it's whose got your back Times have changed..." Lift Your Spirit, Aloe Black_

* * *

"So what exactly was happening back on Midgard?"

It was a question I'd been dying to ask Heimdall earlier. But now that Thor was back and ready to demand why his father had closed the Bifrost, I couldn't resist asking him. I'm sure that Thor would know what was going on, and maybe it had something to do with the fact that the Bifrost was closed.

"There were no threats, as far as I had gathered," he replied, sounding more confused than ever.

So why the hell was Odin keeping the Bifrost closed than? From what Thor had told me it was possible to find portals that connected Midgard with Asgard. Though these portals were said to be rare it was easy for someone with magic to find them.

I wish there was an easier way to find these portals. The last thing I wanted was to rely on magic in order to find them. What bothered me more than anything was that Rosana had obviously known magic. And apparently it was easy enough for her to find these portals.

"Dad's going to kill me when I get back," I muttered crossly. I refused to add 'if' instead of 'when'. As beautiful as Asgard was, I didn't want to be stuck here for the rest of my life.

"He was most worried about you," Thor admitted.

Guilt stabbed me in the chest when he said that. What would dad say to me if he saw me now? He'd be beyond pissed if he knew where I was. I suppose being here was better than being held captive again. But the fact that I was so far from home made me feel a little queasy.

We walked on in awkward silence until we reached the palace. I'm surprised that Thor didn't just fly there, seeing as he had Mjölnir at his side. Beyond the palace grounds I could see the city itself in it's shining glory.

I had to admit, I did want to explore more of the city when I had the chance. But with Rosana still at large maybe exploring wasn't such a good idea.

"I will have word with my father the moment I see him," Thor reassured me as we reached what looked like a dining hall.

My eyes widened as I took in the room. This place was just as big as I expected, with decorated pillars placed on either side of the room, and a large throne sitting at the very back. I bit the bottom of my lip when I realized just how over glorified this palace really was.

In a way the place reminded me a bit of how dad's mansion used to look like. Not exactly the same style, but he always went over the top when it came to decorating. What bothered me more than anything was that dad always used the most expensive fixtures. Hopefully this time when the mansion was rebuilt it wouldn't have the same taste.

"I think I might do some exploring," I suddenly murmured thoughtfully. If there was a law that said I couldn't wander than I might just scream.

"Stay safe, Lady Stark," Thor replied with the faintest of smiles.

"I will." With a small wave I started exploring the extensive hallways once more.

So far I've only explored a small portion of the palace and the city. There were some places that were a bit obvious as to what I should avoid. A few guards walking past gave me strange looks as I made my way towards a set of stairs. To my surprise none of them questioned what I was up to.

Okay, weird. Maybe Frigga had already warned them that I was still here. Or they decided that I posed no threat.

I snorted at the idea, realizing that I could become a very dangerous threat if things went wrong. Too many times I had already lost control of my powers. The thought still terrified me as I remembered the building falling apart around me.

_My powers nearly killed dad too_, I reminded myself, suddenly feeling bitter. Of all the challenges I had faced it was learning how to control the Earth itself. And I still had trouble trying to control it. There were times when I would lose control, and pieces of cement would collapse in front of me. Or something worse would happen.

I didn't even realize where my feet were taking me until I stopped at the last step.

This part of the palace wasn't nearly as…. I wasn't even sure how to describe it. The room was nice enough as far as I was concerned. But it somehow reminded me of a dungeon, with lanterns hanging down the ceiling and torches placed on the walls.

Instinct told me that it wasn't safe to linger here. Yet my feet continued moving forward, seeming to have a mind of their own. It didn't take long for me to realize that this was in fact a _prison_. And almost at once I felt my blood run cold. This was the Asgardian prison. And of course I had stumbled upon it.

What was it with me and getting myself into dangerous situations? I shook my head at the thought and tried not to think about it. All I had to do was turn around and get back to the palace before anything happened. Of course my feet wouldn't listen to the logic in my mind.

"Some of the prisoners are growing restless." I stiffened when I heard a pair of guards approaching me. Did everyone on Asgard have the same accents? I decided to hide in a corner as the footsteps got louder.

"Understandably so," the second guard stated. "Not only do we have a mortal among us, but there is also a traitor hiding in the city itself."

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes when they mentioned my presence. Thankfully they didn't seem to notice me as they headed towards the left. Once they were gone I took the chance to slip away before they discovered I was here.

"Going somewhere?" I think my heart nearly skipped a beat when I heard that familiar voice.

Looking back I stared at what looked like an invisible wall; the only thing keeping the prisoner from escaping. I had a funny feeling that he could easily escape though if he wanted to. Given the fact that he was a master magician or something along those lines.

Standing just a couple of inches away from me was someone I did not expect to see any time soon. I knew that Thor had taken him back to Asgard to answer to his crimes. But I didn't realize that Odin would be keeping Loki here in the Asgardian prison.

"What are _you_ doing here?" I couldn't help but demand, even though I already knew the answer.

"I believe I should ask the same thing," Loki replied.

Suddenly I narrowed my eyes, remembering why I disliked the arrogant bastard so much. I hated admitting that he made dad look like a saint.

"Let's just say I didn't ask to be here," I muttered crossly, folding my arms and watching him carefully. If he made any wrong move than I would report it immediately. Sure the guards might not believe me, but it would probably shut him up for a while.

"Oh I heard." Again I rolled my eyes when there was a dramatic pause. "Someone destroyed a petty SHIELD base, and they managed to capture you."

"Yeah well…." I stopped myself when I realized that he was smirking. "How the hell would you know that?"

"You hold something that I need."

All of a sudden I remembered what Rosana had said back at the destroyed SHIELD base. She had told me the same thing. That I was holding on to something that someone apparently wanted. What that something was I would never know, unless I found out from Loki.

"And just what might that something be?" I knew he was goading me on. Yet I couldn't resist asking the one question that would keep me awake for the next few hours, unless I got an answer.

"It is a rare and ancient artifact, that not many are aware of," he explained, the smirk never leaving as he leaned forward. Thank God there was a barrier keeping him from attacking. Truthfully he did freak me out a little, even if he did have such a great accent. "Have you heard of the Infinity Stones?"

His question caught me off guard. No, I hadn't heard of these 'Infinity Stones'. SHIELD certainly didn't have a file on them. And dad had never mentioned anything about it either.

"Honestly, no," I admitted with a shake of my head. His question had peaked my curiosity. And I hated him for that. But I remembered that purple stone I had found a few months ago, and suddenly wondered if that had anything to do with the Infinity Stones.

"The Infinity Stones are some of the most powerful artifacts in the universe, older than time itself," he quickly explained. "And you hold on to one of those artifacts."

He looked at me accusingly, and all at once I thought of that little stone I had found again. I had brought it with me. Before I had changed into a dress I had taken the stone out. I made sure that the dress had at least one hidden pocket that I could keep the stone in. And now I was glad that I had kept it.

"Even if I did somehow get my hands on one of these so called 'Infinity Stones'," I used my fingers as quotations for the Infinity Stones, "what makes you think I would let you have it?"

I glared at Loki as he grinned mischievously. "You do not even know how to wield it's power," he simply said with a shrug.

"Maybe I don't _want_ to know," I snapped.

Loki's face twisted in a scowl. Looks like I hit a sore spot. Honestly I could care less, as long as the thing didn't hurt anyone. I still don't know why I was the one who found it. But if it really was as powerful as Loki claimed, than maybe it was a good thing I had found it.

"I sent that hand-maid to retrieve the stone, and instead I am stuck with a useless mortal." I rolled my eyes at the weak insult, having heard something similar to that from Odin already.

"So you _did_ send Rosana after me." The tone in my voice made me swallow as the God of mischief glared at me. "How does she know magic? Did you teach her?"

Before Loki could answer I shrugged and started to back away from the cell. I had already stayed too long and asked too many questions. If I stayed any longer Odin might find out what I was up to, if he hadn't found out already.

As I started making my way back up the stairs, I thought of what Loki had said about the Infinity Stones. I could already see the valid point he had made about my lack of knowledge. There really was still so much I had to learn.

Maybe it was time I did start learning more about that stone. If I could somehow get it to work, than it might help locate Rosana and get me home sooner. If there's one thing I've learned over the past few years, it was worth trying new things, if they didn't pose any threats.

* * *

**AN: Finally I got to the main plot of part two. And finally mentioned the Infinity Stones... I'm wondering if this should be changed into a cross-over, because eventually it will become one.**


	17. Warrior In Disguise

**Chapter Seventeen**

* * *

_"Take one step and make it count, Hold your breath then let it out What's left unsaid, say it loud, There's a fire in me That's still burning..." Searchlight, Phillip Phillips_

* * *

"Why do we have to leave?" A young girl was standing next to her family as they started wandering down a dirt road. Winter had only just arrived, and the brutal cold made it difficult for travel. But it gave them a head start. They had to start moving soon in order to avoid the trials that lay ahead.

"We're going on a little adventure," a woman, the mother, told her. A haunted look flashed in her eyes as she pried the child towards her as she started running back to their old house.

It was a little cottage on the Italian countryside. But they had to leave everything behind. The girl was too young to understand what was going on. She didn't realize that her people were under attack. And they were slowly dying off, one by one. Families were slaughtered just for being different. Young children were killed right in front of their mothers and fathers. The mother of this child didn't want her to become the latest victim.

"But why do we have to leave?" the girl started crying, and her mother held on to her tightly, knowing that she would run if she let go.

"There are people who wish us dead," her father stated gruffly. Her mother shot him an icy glare, but he only returned the look with a shrug. "She will have to learn sooner or later. Our kind are not welcomed here, or anywhere, as it seems."

The bitterness in his voice was evident of how much suffering he had taken lately. Of all the Aliquid, he was the most powerful. He could see visions of the future and past, and had already seen what would become of his people. Worst of all, he could _feel_ what his people felt. It was one of the more painful part of his powers, and it had taken a toll on him.

"Why do they not like us?" the child asked. Her gaze was full of curiosity and fear. She was still young enough not to understand just how dangerous her situation was.

"You will learn in time, child," her mother simply replied.

. . .

I woke up gasping for breath. Beads of sweat were rolling down my cheeks as I recalled the vivid dream. It felt so real, like I was actually part of it. And what really got me was the time difference. That little girl, I was pretty sure she was a younger version of Nadia, my mother. It had been such a long time since I had such dreams. And the one time I didn't have my notebook to write it down…. I wish I would have taken it with me.

Shaking my head at the thought, I decided to try and forget about it as I washed the sweat off my face. The dream had left me shaking in disbelief. It wasn't something that I could easily push aside, even if I wanted to. The fact that it was so vivid only made it worse.

"Lady Stark, is everything alright?" I flinched when I heard a knocking on my door.

With as much speed as I could muster, I changed into my dress and made sure my hair was brushed and tied into a messy ponytail. Once that task was finished I quickly opened the door. My eyes widened in disbelief when I saw Sif standing there, hands on her hips looking rather impatient.

"Is something wrong?" I asked warily.

"The Queen wishes to speak with you," Sif replied. "She has told me that it is urgent," she added when I looked at her in surprise.

_Maybe Thor managed to convince Odin to open the Bifrost_, I suddenly thought.

Before I could make sense of what was happening, she grabbed me by the wrist and suddenly started running. My mind started whirling with thoughts as heat rose to my hand. In one swift movement she released her grip, yelping in pain when the heat became too much.

"I'm not going anywhere with you." Truth be told I had seen the way Lady Sif acted. And she wasn't the type to rush into things, at least as far as I could tell. Too many times I had let myself get captured, and if this was someone in disguise, I wasn't going to let that happen again.

"You are more intelligent than I realized," the stranger in disguise sneered. All at once my thoughts turned back to when Rosana had been speaking. My mind was quick to put the pieces together. "I see that time in Asgard has not changed you."

In a brilliant flash of light her appearance changed. My eyes narrowed into slits when I recognized Rosana instantly. She was no longer wearing a dress; instead she wore the same outfit that a warrior on Asgard would wear.

"So you were hiding under our noses all along," I muttered crossly. A fireball started forming in the palm of my hand; I may still be out of it but I wasn't going to let her take me so easily. "What happened to the real Sif?"

"She and the Warrior's Three are off fighting a battle," Rosana replied. She smirked in amusement as I glared at her. "You still hold on to something that my friend desires."

"If you're referring to Loki and the Infinity Stone, than no, you can't have it," I snapped.

Rosana's face faltered when I mentioned Loki. So they _had_ been meeting in secret. That only made me regret healing Loki when he was smashed by the Hulk. The bastard didn't deserve any sympathy at this point.

"I was hoping that it would not come to this," she sighed with a shake of her head. "You cannot control the power that you hold."

"Well I bet you can't either," I retorted. "What exactly did Loki promise if you managed to get the Infinity Stone?"

For a moment she paused, as if to consider what she would say next. Knowing Loki he had promised her the world, and more.

"Loki has promised to give me what I desire the most." Her voice sounded shaken as she glared at me. "I want freedom." I stared at her in surprise as she looked down at the floor. "You do not know what it is like, to be considered the lowest of low."

Actually I did know a bit of what that was like. The Aliquid had suffered so much because they were thought of the same way. I knew that it was only a matter of time before the Black Knights attacked again. For the first time I realized that I could relate to her, in some way.

"Look, maybe you're going at it the wrong way," I murmured, allowing the slightest sympathy in my voice. "Loki isn't going to stay true to his word. He's known as the Trickster for God's sake." I tried to keep my tone gentle, but anger easily overpowered me.

By now I was stalling, hoping that one of the guards would spot us. We were standing in the middle of a hallway. I'm surprised that Heimdall hadn't sensed Rosana's presence. Then again she might be using magic to block his vision, if that was possible.

Suddenly Rosana's face twisted in a scowl. I was ready to defend myself when she threw an energy blast in my direction. With a simple twist of my foot I was able to get out of the way, but not without running into the nearest wall.

"He warned me that you would try something like this," she sneered. I pushed myself off the wall and flipped back to my feet, only to feel a sharp pain on my side. Rosana smirked as she raised her chin and glared at me proudly. "I was not prepared during our last encounter, but this time I am."

The pain was getting more intense. I forced back a scream when it began to spread. From my side to my shoulders as I tried to stay standing. Rosana only watched with amusement as I struggled to keep my eyes from watering.

"What…. What are you doing?" I stammered, clutching my side now as she simply stared at me. She didn't move a muscle. She didn't need to.

"A simple spell," she replied. "It will keep you immobilized until I have possession of the stone."

Not if I can help it. Despite the pain I was in, I reached for the stone I kept in my pocket. She would have to pry it out of my cold dead fingers if she was desperate enough. There was no way I would let her take it. Not if it was as powerful as Loki had claimed.

Rosana frowned when she realized I wasn't going to give up without a fight. The pain suddenly got even worse as my veins felt like they were on fire.

I tried to keep myself distracted by thinking of anything. If I bid my time enough the guards would find us. They had to at least walk through this hallway. So all I had to do was make sure that I held on until they arrived.

My face started twisting as I thought of my family back at home. Dad and Pepper were safe. So were the rest of the Avengers. And Thor was back after having checked on them. Then I thought of the dream I had just a few moments ago. I couldn't help but close my eyes as I thought of where my people had come from, and what it would be like to see their world again.

"Finally!" Rosana's shout made me jump.

Opening my eyes, I noticed that the stone was glowing again. I was too startled to speak when I realized that the stone was burning up again.

"Wha…." I stopped myself as another intense pain surged through me. This time it wasn't coming from Rosana. That pain was different, like someone was ripping me apart from the inside. This pain felt like someone was burning my skin.

"You have activated the Infinity Stone," she retorted as she reached down.

I barely managed to roll aside before she could grab it. The pain made it difficult to comprehend what was happening. What did she mean by that? The stone was activated…. I had a feeling it couldn't be anything good.

But the more I thought about it the more painful it got. So instead I tried clearing my mind as the energy started to surround me like a cocoon. It wasn't long before darkness took over, and the last thing I heard was Rosana's shout of frustration as I blacked out once again.


	18. The Collector

**Chapter Eighteen**

* * *

_"What if there was no lie, Nothing wrong, nothing right What if there was no time, And no reason, or rhyme What if you should decide That you don't want me there by your side, That you don't want me there in your life What if I got it wrong, And no poem or song Could put right what I got wrong, Or make you feel I belong..." What If, Coldplay_

* * *

"Father, where's mother?"

An older version of the girl from earlier was tugging at the shirt of her father, who looked decidedly older than ever. Silver hair now replaced once ruffled brown hair. The girl was now thirteen, and wore a golden necklace with an amulet at the end. It was a gift that all of the Aliquid received at the age of sixteen.

"Mother had to stay behind, Nadia," the father replied. Grief clouded his eyes; he knew the real reason behind her disappearance. But Nadia was too young, too innocent to understand the truth. He did not want her to suffer the same way he had for the past two weeks.

A new sense of understanding showed in Nadia's gaze. She simply looked down at the ground. They had been on the move for as long as she could remember now. She had only been five when they started traveling. Father had kept their family on the move, despite what had happened to mother.

Nadia could still remember waking up one morning to find mother was gone. She didn't know where mother had disappeared to, but father had to drag her away from their resting place. She never saw mother again after that.

_Mother is gone_…._ And nothing can bring her back_.

. . .

Pain throbbed in the back of my head. It felt I'd been whacked in the head by Mjölnir.

As I started waking up I realized that something was off. The place I was in didn't seem familiar. For starters the floor felt oddly rough compared to the smooth pavement I'd been standing on earlier. And to top things off it was dark. Like someone had turned off all the lights and I couldn't see my hands dark.

I forced back a groan as I struggled to stand up. My knees felt like I hadn't stood for days.

Where the hell was I?

This place didn't look anything like Asgard. Then again I really didn't know much about Asgard aside from the few places I've explored. But something told me that it wouldn't be this dark. I could see a few faint lights, but they were so distant that I had to squint to see them.

Great, I'm in a different place once again. This just kept getting better and better.

I dusted off my dress before trying to take a step forward. I hadn't realized how torn apart the ends of the dress were until I looked at them. Whatever had happened had caused the dress to get ruined. It actually did look better that way.

With a simple flick of my wrist, I formed a fireball in the palm of my hand so that I could see ahead. And suddenly I wished I hadn't.

I was standing on what looked like a narrow pathway. Ahead of the path I could make out what looked like a building. In all the place looked more like a marketplace than anything else. It was similar to the one on Asgard, though not as bright and welcoming. People were shouting to one another in strange accents I've never heard of.

Carefully I decided to put out the fireball in my hands and walk down towards the market. Maybe I could find out where I was from one of the locals. From there I'd need to find some way back home. It was obvious that Asgard was out of the question. I couldn't go back there now knowing that Odin would just keep me locked up. Even if Thor managed to convince him I was not a threat, he probably wouldn't open the Bifrost any time soon.

"Watch it!" I flinched when someone brushed past me, carrying what looked like a wagon full of some strange yellow liquid.

It didn't take me long to realize how different these creatures looked compared to humans or even Asgardians. I sucked in a breath before heading forward to avoid them. Truth be told I was nervous; this place was completely different from anything I'd ever encountered.

My feet didn't stop moving until I finally reached what appeared to be a seedy looking bar. More of those strange looking creatures were outside shouting in different languages. I made a point to avoid them as I walked inside, hoping to find someone who spoke some English at least. Maybe they would shed some light as to where the hell I was.

"I wouldn't go in there if I were you." My heart nearly skipped a beat when a new voice spoke up. I whirled around to see a dog standing outside, tail wagging and all. "That place isn't the best for children." I stared at the dog in shock when I realized that he was actually talking.

"Are you talking to me?" I knelt down on my knees so that I was making eye contact.

"I am," he replied. "Forgive me for startling you. I was asked to bring you to my master."

I looked around warily to make sure that this wasn't just some crazy dream. Considering everything else that happened recently, I shouldn't be so surprised. After everything I've been through I wasn't sure whether or not I should trust some random talking dog.

Then again it's not like I have anything to lose. I tried to keep calm as I followed the dog carefully. The people leaving and entering the bar were giving us strange looks, like we were the aliens around here. Give or take that probably was the case here.

"Do you have a name?" I asked while struggling to take in every detail. It was hard to describe what everything looked like. It took me a few minutes to realize that were at a spaceport. Ships were docked in a few places, and others were left empty for the arrival of other ships.

"My name is Cosmo," the dog replied without looking at me. "Actually I have two masters, consisting of Taneleer Tivan, otherwise known as the Collector, and the Guardians of the Galaxy."

Both names caught me by surprise. The Collector sounded like someone I'd rather not piss off. If he was anything like the Black Knights than it was possible he could be looking for people like me. But the Guardians sounded interesting enough.

"What exactly is this place called? I'm still a little new to this whole…." I paused to search for the right words, realizing I might sound offensive. "Space aged thing." I added the last part with a shrug. Cosmo made a sound of amusement and stopped in his tracks.

"You are on Knowhere," he explained. "This entire planet is made of a head that was decapitated from a sentinel being."

Okay, that sounded grouse. Yet I was fascinated by the fact that people eked out a living on a place like this.

"Thank you," I murmured thoughtfully.

Cosmo simply nodded and started walking again, heading towards a space that was shrouded in darkness. I felt chills run down my spine as the darkness swallowed us. Thankfully the darkness didn't last long. Faint lights began flickering on as we walked farther on, until finally we reached what looked like a massive room. What I saw next nearly took my breath away.

Glass display cases, dozens of them, decorated the walls and floor of the room. Creatures could be made out within the glass, all of them unique in their own way. Some were even hanging from the ceiling, dangling in a precarious way. I noticed that a pink-skinned girl was cleaning the glass displays nearby. Her eyes widened when she realized that she was no longer alone; Cosmo disappeared to the right into another hallway.

"Forgive me; master has just left to tend to business." The girl bowed before leaning over the display once more. Her expression was difficult to make out, but I noticed real fear in her eyes.

"Who is your master?" I felt uneasy using the term. Master felt like such a vulgar term. The girl in question stiffened at the term and looked at me in surprise. I looked down at the floor in embarrassment when I realized that I just crossed the line.

"_I_ am her master." We both looked up as a new voice spoke up. This one had a thick accent to it, and I couldn't help but take a step back in surprise when I saw who that voice belonged to. "And I must say, it is an honor to meet the last of a dying race."

I couldn't help but glare. The fact that I was the last of my people was still an uneasy issue. I hated knowing what the Black Knights had done to the Aliquid. But this Collector, as I would assume he was, didn't seem to care that he sounded offensive.

"Taneleer Tivan, at your service," he greeted with the slightest bow. "My friend here has told me that you looked quite lost. I would assume that is the case."

It took a while for me to fully take in his appearance. At first glance he appeared flamboyant. He was wearing a white fur cloak and had white hair with gold mixed in. What really caught my attention were his eyes. They were blue, like that of a sapphire. His pointed ears definitely topped the cake, making him look even stranger than the pink girl who was obviously working for him.

"Ada, Ada Stark," I introduced myself as formally as I could.

"I know very well who you are," Tivan replied. "What I would like to know, is why _you_ are here? What brings you to my most humble collection?"

I bit the bottom of my lip and ran my fingers through my hair. To be honest even I wasn't sure how it all happened. All I could remember was Rosana mentioning something about the Infinity Stone activating. I still had no idea how the thing worked, and all I wanted was to go home.

"Look, I'm not exactly familiar with these things." I carefully pulled out the Infinity Stone, and Tivan's eyes widened in disbelief. "All I know is one day I found this stone, and ever since than it's been causing me trouble."

"The Space Gem," Tivan whispered. My eyes narrowed into tiny slits; suddenly my lack of trust grew stronger. "Clearly the Space Gem chose you for a reason, though why I do not understand."

_'Because unlike him_, _you have good intentions_.' Nadia's voice suddenly rang in my ears. I couldn't help but smirk at that, though I doubted that was actually the case. Something told me there was more of a reason to why I had found the Space Gem.

"Do you know how it works? I'd love to get back home if that's even possible." I looked down at the stone once more, feeling a strange energy surging from it. I wondered if that was the same energy that I felt when it first activated.

"Someone with great strength can activate the power within this stone," Tivan explained. "But the power can and often will overwhelm it's handler."

And yet somehow I survived. I tried not to think about it too much.

"Thank you for at least explaining to me how it can be used." I looked away, suddenly wary of how much time had passed. Since it was so dark out I couldn't tell whether it was nice or day. And the worst part was I couldn't tell how long I had been here either.

I didn't miss the look of uncertainty flashing in Tivan's eyes when I started to leave.

"Perhaps you would be better off waiting until the Guardians arrive," he suddenly called across the room. My grip on the Space Gem suddenly got stronger, and I made sure to keep it hidden in my pocket for safe keeping.

"Thanks; I mean no offense, but I think I've had enough with aliens for one week." My voice was barely a whisper, but Tivan seemed to hear it loud and clear.

Hopefully I could get the stone to work on my own. From what I gathered in there Tivan was most likely after the Infinity Stone. After hearing about it's power and knowing just how dangerous it was, I couldn't let the stone fall into the wrong hands. Not if I had a say in the matter.

* * *

**AN: Finally got this chapter finished after having a few days of writer's block. Big thanks to Spinosa for your encouragement, I always appreciate it! And yes, this is a crossover with Guardians of the Galaxy. I couldn't resist ;)**


	19. Who Are You?

**Chapter Nineteen**

Stones swirled around me in circles as I concentrated on the Space Gem. I was holding on to it for dear life, afraid that it might suddenly disappear if I looked away. Laying next to me with his head held high was Cosmo the space dog.

To my surprise he had followed me when I left Tivan standing there with his collection. I supposed that helping out the Guardians meant that even if Tivan abandoned him, Cosmo would always have a second home.

I was sitting at a set of stairs leading up to a shaggy old building. So far no one had dared bother me when they saw the floating stones. For some reason they helped me concentrate, especially during times like this.

"Why can't I get this thing to work when I want it to work?" I muttered as I squeezed the stone. By now the impression had left tiny dents in my hand, and Cosmo was looking at me in concern.

"Perhaps you should take a break," he said after resting his head on my knee. I held back a sigh of frustration and resisted the urge to throw the stone away. That would not only be stupid but dangerous, especially if someone else found it.

"You don't understand," I sighed. "I need to get back home."

Earth, Terran or Midgard, or whatever the hell it was called was my home. No matter how many times I was reminded of my heritage by blood, that wouldn't change my opinion. Cosmo tilted his head to one side out of curiosity.

"But you aren't Terran, are you?" he asked.

"No, I'm not." I buried my face in my hands, forgetting the stone for a moment as the frustration started getting overwhelming.

It was at that point the ground started trembling again. Cosmo took a few startled steps back when he realized what was happening. Even if this sentinel being was just a skull, for some reason I was still able to control the ground below me.

"Ada, what is happening?" Cosmo yelped as the trembling grew stronger. The world around me seemed to vanish as a combination of shock, grief and anger took over.

_Don't lose control_…. _Don't lose control_…. The words rang in my ears, but I couldn't fight it. It was like being here triggered some kind of awful memory as I pictured what had happened to my people. All of the suffering and torture they had gone through, just to eke out a living.

"What the hell?" All at once the trembling had stopped, and the stones floating around me dropped in a loud clatter.

"Master, don't be angry!" Cosmo left my side and greeted the newcomer almost at once. "She's not well."

"She ruined my ship." I couldn't help but flinch at the accusing tone. This time I was huddled on the steps, my head to my knees as I wrapped my arms around them. I was still holding on to the stone, but my grip wasn't as strong as it had been.

"Peter, I would hardly call your ship ruined," another voice cut in.

I forced back a cry of shock when I realized that I was surrounded. Cosmo was standing in front of the group, and even if it was a small amount they still outnumbered me five to one. Well, four to one if you don't count the tree standing next to the raccoon.

"And how many times do I have to tell you I'm not your master?" the man Cosmo had greeted muttered. "Who are you?" Finally he looked at me; the anger from earlier seemed to vanish at once.

"Maybe the kid can't talk," the raccoon suddenly piped up. All I could do was stare at him, until I finally started rubbing my forehead.

This had to be a dream. There was no way a talking raccoon and walking tree could exist. The woman with green skin was possible, maybe. But everything else just made me realize that this was just a dream, and if I was lucky I would wake up.

"Do we not have an appointment with the Collector?" The fifth person in the group, a tall looking man covered in tattoos, asked.

"We do, but we're not going anywhere until I find out why you ruined my ship." I rolled my eyes in annoyance. As I peered around them I noticed a red and blue ship was docked nearby, and to my horror I realized what I had done. A deep scratch was visible enough from a distance.

"Stark, Ada Stark," I finally managed to say. The man took a step back in surprise, and I don't miss the fact that he looks similar to someone from Earth. His appearance was kind of a dead giveaway.

"Wait, wait, Stark as in Howard Stark?" My eyes widened at the mention of dad's father's name. He and his wife had died in a plane crash years ago, leaving dad behind in the process.

"No, Stark as in Tony Stark," I replied. "Dad never really got along with his father." I added the last part with a shrug. That much was true, dad had made it clear that he never got along with his father.

"Quill why are we wasting our time with this kid?" The raccoon was giving me a cold look, and I noticed for the first time that he was holding on to a weapon that was twice his size. I couldn't help but smirk at the sight. "What are you lookin' at?" he demanded when he noticed I was staring.

Instinctively I looked away, realizing that I wasn't necessarily in the safest situations. I couldn't help but flinch under his piercing gaze. Cosmo was still standing between us, tilting his head to one side in confusion when an icy silence followed.

Relief washed over my shoulders when the woman who was working for Tivan approached us. As usual she wore a smile on her face, but I noticed that she looked more tense than before. Once again I was reminded of the fact that she was owned by Tivan, and the disgust I felt earlier suddenly returned.

"Master would like to see to you, immediately," she explained with a graceful bow. I didn't miss the look she gave me.

'_Something is not right_.' Nadia's voice rang in my ears, and I couldn't help but nod in agreement. The servant looked more uneasy than ever as she led the group towards the museum. All that ran through my mind was that Tivan was up to something.

If he was after the Infinity Stone than it was possible he could use that against me. I'm sure that he wasn't the only one who sought them. Either way I would have to lay low until I figured out a way back home.

* * *

**AN: Blah, sorry for the long wait, and shorter chapter. I've been suffering from writer's block, and it's a killer. Not literally of course, but you know what I mean. Thanks everyone for your patience, and hopefully the next chapter will be longer.**


	20. Rumor Has It

**Chapter Twenty**

Rumor had it that the Infinity Stones were more powerful than Odin himself. That one flick of the wrist could destroy an entire planet if one had the whole collection. I suppose I was lucky than that I held on to one of those rare artifacts. If what I suspected was true than the Collector was searching for the stones as well.

The museum walls surrounded me once again as I followed the group, hopefully without raising suspicion. Truthfully I was nervous about being left alone, especially on a planet I knew nothing about. Cosmo had trotted after them once the servant girl had greeted the Guardians.

What bothered me more than anything was the fact that Nadia had seemed concerned. I couldn't help but wonder if it was some kind of instinct that just occurred moments ago. Either way I wasn't willing to sit around and wait for something to happen.

"Greetings, Guardians of the Galaxy." I resisted the urge to roll my eyes when the Collector bowed once again, using a formal way of greeting someone. "I trust you had a safe journey?" Cosmo was sitting between Tivan and the Guardians. Every now and than he would look at me as if to ask what I was doing here.

"For the most part," Quill replied with a shrug. I really needed to start learning everyone's first names. The one thing I had forgotten to do could cost me my life. Then again I had no idea whether or not these people had first or last names.

'_Of course we do_,' Nadia suddenly snapped. I couldn't help but smirk at her short-tempered response.

"I believe that there is something amongst my collection that you might be interested in," Tivan began once the introductions were said and done. I didn't miss how his eyes shifted over to me and glared in response. "This creature possesses something of great value, and is the last of their kind, if you can believe."

All eyes turned to me as he smirked. My face turned a bright red as anger rushed through me. If I weren't outnumbered I would've done anything to shut the guy up. All my instincts were screaming at me to get away while I could, and of course I just stood there like an idiot.

"You hold the Space Gem, and I believe that no mere Terran should keep such a powerful relic," he went on as if nothing had happened. I didn't miss the look everyone gave me, each shifting between shock and annoyance. I'm guessing they haven't had good experiences with Infinity Stones before.

"So what exactly is the kid?" the Raccoon asked after giving me what I assumed was a dirty look.

'_They are nothing more than criminals_.' I rolled my eyes when Nadia said that. And of course an awkward silence had to fall around us when my necklace started glowing.

That had to be the major downside to having something like this. It was a dead giveaway to anyone searching for someone like me. Fortunately as far as I was concerned there were no Black Knights around here.

"She is part of a race known as the Aliquid," Tivan explained before I could say anything. Guess I didn't have a say in this conversation.

"I have heard of them," the green-skinned woman suddenly piped in. "Their planet was consumed by Galactus thousands of Terran years ago."

This time I can't help but look around as uneasiness suddenly washed over me. I've heard the stories of what happened to my people's planet. Nadia had told me not too long ago what Galactus did. Because of him my people nearly wiped out.

"When Galactus destroyed my people's planet they fled to Earth for refuge," I explained when another awkward silence followed. "After that they were nearly destroyed by the Black Knights." I didn't miss the bitterness in my voice.

I didn't have very fond memories of the Black Knights. The last time I had encountered them was God only knows how long. And during the captivity I had learned to hate them even more. Of course I'm sure by now things could have gone far worse.

"Which is why she is here now, part of my collection." My eyes narrowed into tiny slits the moment those words spilled out of Tivan's mouth.

"If she is part of your collection, than why is she standing here with us?" I was about to ask the same thing, but the guy with awesome looking tattoos beat me to it. I wondered if he was born with those tattoos or had to receive them as some part of cultural ritual. I couldn't help but wince at the latter part. That would've hurt like hell if that was the case.

"And more importantly, the only item of value I can see is the Infinity Stone," the raccoon put in.

"How many units?" Quill suddenly asked.

I felt myself stiffen at the thought of having any kind of value. That was the last thing I needed. I wasn't even sure how money worked on this planet, but I'm assuming that units were their form of currency.

"For the Infinity Stone, two hundred thousand units, if you want the girl, than five hundred thousand." That sounded like a lot.

"Look, I don't know about you, but I'm not part of your… whatever the hell this is," I snapped, raising my hands to the museum that surrounded us. "All I want to do is find a way home, and make sure that this thing doesn't fall in the wrong hands." To which I pointed out the Space Gem I was clinging on to for dear life.

The Collector simply raised an eyebrow in surprise. Luckily he didn't get to say anything else that might ruin my life. Cosmo stepped in between him and the Guardians, tilting his head to one side as if to apologize.

"Please don't be angry," he finally spoke up. "Master, is it possible for you to take her home?"

For a moment the room was full of silence. Finally Quill seemed to understand what Cosmo meant by those words. I gave Cosmo a grateful smile before facing the team known as the Guardians once more.

"You still owe me a fresh paint job," Quill muttered under his breath. To which I simply rolled my eyes. "Alright fine, I'll let you stay with us. But only if you agree to fixing the mess you've made."

I didn't miss the looks that the others exchanged. Clearly they weren't happy with his decision. Frankly I was surprised that he changed his mind so quickly.

"I am Groot," the walking tree suddenly stated.

"Yeah, you're probably right," the raccoon said with a smirk.

"I suppose I don't have another choice." I held back a sigh of frustration when I realized just how right I was. If I stayed here than odds were the Collector really would add me to his collection. I was in no hurry to be part of someone's museum exhibit.

The other two remained icily silent. I could see that the green-skinned woman was giving me a calculating look. The man with tattoos all over simply folded his arms and looked more annoyed than anything else.

Cosmo gave Quill one last look before returning to Tivan's side as the awkward silence only got worse.

"Are you certain that we can trust her?" The man covered in tattoos suddenly shifted on his feet, giving me one look before glancing back at Quill.

"Yeah," Quill replied with a nod. "For the most part."

I gave him an uneasy look as my mind reeled with questions. The Collector had stayed quiet for the most part after Cosmo jumped in. Judging by the look on his face he was not happy. I hoped Cosmo wouldn't be punished for standing up for me.


End file.
